Constellation
by Xenexian
Summary: There have been talks since popular boy group EXO debuted to release a sister group; after two years of careful planning, the time has finally come. Kpop/SMTown
1. Introduction

POLARIS (폴라리스) is a k-pop girl group produced by S.M. Entertainment. Formed in 2013 in Seoul, South Korea, POLARIS is comprised of 6 members promoting in South Korea. They debuted on 7th July 2014. Their sister group, SIGMA, is also made up of 6 members and debuted in October 2014. They promote solely in Japan.

**POLARIS:**

**Eunjung**

Position: Leader and lead vocalist.  
><span>Birth Name:<span> Choi Eunjung  
>Date Of Birth: 1404/1996 (aged 17 at the beginning of the story)  
><span>Nationality:<span> English-Korean  
>Training Since: February 2011 (aged 15)<p>

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chaerin<strong>

Position: Lead vocalist.  
><span>Birth Name:<span> Kwon Chaerin  
>Date Of Birth: 3004/1996 (aged 17 at the beginning of the story)  
><span>Nationality:<span> American-Korean  
>Training Since: January 2012 (aged 16)<p>

* * *

><p><span><strong>Gayoon<strong>

Position: Main vocalist.  
><span>Birth Name:<span> Kim Yuri  
>Date Of Birth: 2605/1995 (aged 18 at the beginning of the story)  
><span>Nationality:<span> Korean (South Korea)  
>Training Since: April 2012 (aged 17)<p>

* * *

><p><span><strong>Jimin<strong>

Position: Main vocalist and visual of Polaris.  
><span>Birth Name:<span> Lee Jimin  
><span>Date Of Birth:<span> 01/01/1996 (aged 18 at the beginning of the story)  
><span>Nationality:<span> Korean (South Korea)  
><span>Training Since:<span> June 2011 (aged 15)

* * *

><p><span><strong>Seohyeon<strong>

Position: Lead dancer and maknae of Polaris, and PoleStar overall.  
>Birth Name: Yoon SeoHyeon<br>Date Of Birth: 10/02/1998 (aged 15 at the beginning of the story)  
><span>Nationality:<span> Korean (South Korea)  
><span>Training Since:<span> February 2011 (aged 13)

* * *

><p><span><strong>Subin<strong>

Position: Lead rapper and eldest of Polaris.  
><span>Birth Name:<span> Park Subin  
><span>Date Of Birth:<span> 05/11/1994 (aged 18 at the beginning of the story)  
><span>Nationality:<span> Korean (South Korea)  
><span>Training Since:<span> January 2013 (aged 17)


	2. 1 Introductions EUNJUNG

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"February 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Being called into the boardroom was always a nervewracking experience - you were either in trouble, or there was an announcement going to be made. Eunjung was nervous as she approached the double doors that were in the corridor ahead of her.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"br She had been told several months ago that she was being prepped for debut in a group, so she had been sure to work even harder than before, making sure to show the trainers and managers that she was worthy of the chance to be put into a debuting group./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Finally, the door was in front of her, as intimidating as it always was, and she steeled herself by taking a deep breath as she pushed it open. There was only one other person in the room, sat at one end of the large table, and she was someone that Eunjung not only recognised, but was glad to see.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Bokyung unnie," she greeted with a grin. "It's good to see you outside of the practice rooms for once!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I know, huh?" the older girl answered, tucking her long orange hair behind her ear, brown eyes twinkling over the rims of her glasses. "And we're leaders of our groups. We've been waiting for this day for a long time, right?" p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Too right we have," Eunjung answered, taking her seat at the other end of the table. "Now all we have to do is wait for our members."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Almost before the words were out of her mouth, the door opened and an extremely short girl entered. She had long straight black hair that was cut into a fringe that fell into her eyes. She had one of those cute sort of faces, and Eunjung could tell straight away that this girl was going to be the visual.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"She bowed to Bokyung and Eunjung politely. "Hello. My name is Lee Jimin and I am a main vocalist of Polaris, as well as being the visual. Please take care of me!"br "Nice to meet you, Jimin-ssi. I'm Choi Eunjung, leader and lead singer of Polaris, and this is Bokyung, leader and lead singer of Sigma, our sister group. Feel free to take a seat - we're just waiting for the rest of our members to get here before we head off to the dorm to get settled in." Eunjung greeted and gestured to her side of the table. Jimin took a seat and they watched as two more girls entered the room. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"One was almost as tall as Eunjung, who had been told that she was the tallest of all the members, and had shoulder-length light brown hair that was parted in the middle and swept behind her ears. She had a kind face and immediately laughed when she saw the two leaders. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, if it isn't my roommate Eunjung and my best buddy Bokyung!" she joked, taking a seat to Eunjung's left. "I guess you two know me already, but for you-" she paused and bowed to Jimin. "My name is Kwon Chaerin, lead vocalist of Polaris. Nice to meet you!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The other girl was still standing awkwardly by the doors, but moved quickly into the room when Chaerin had finished her introduction. She had waist-length blonde hair that ended in an electric blue dip dye and looked very serious as well as extremely nervous. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hello," she began in broken Korean. "My name is Zhang Meihui, oldest member of Sigma as well as lead dancer. It is a pleasure to meet you all."br After that, the five artists had to wait a little while for the next group to arrive, and four arrived at once. Two were linking arms and seemed very close; they even had similar faces, although the shorter of the pair had hair that was short, brown and swept across the left side of her face, while the other side was shaved. The taller girl had spiky dark blue hair and red lipstick and although she was dressed in dance attire, she made a strong first impression. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hello! I am Itou Akemi, lead vocalist and maknae of Sigma, and this is my best friend Takahashi Kiyomi, lead vocalist!" They bowed and quickly took their seats to make way for the other two girls, who didn't seem to know each other at all.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm Kim Yuri, main vocalist of Polaris," the girl with the short blonde hair and tomboy-ish attire said first, her voice a little curt as she stared at the other members of her group. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And I'm Yoon Seohyeon, maknae and lead dancer of Polaris. It's really wonderful to meet you all, and I look forward to debuting with you all soon." the other said, bowing respectfully and sweeping her long brown hair over her right shoulder. Eunjung noticed that there was dark purple at the ends and smiled inwardly; that was her favourite colour. Her own hair was longer than it had ever been before, falling to just below her shoulder blades, and was bright firetruck red.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Only three more members left, one from Polaris and two from Sigma," Bokyung spoke up as she shuffled her papers in front of her professionally. "This is so exciting!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung and Chaerin shared a look and shook their heads at their friend; the three had been close as soon as they had met, as both Eunjung and Bokyung could only speak English when they began training (Eunjung was English while Bokyung was from Canada). Chaerin had pretended to not know any English for a while to tease them before laughing so hard she rolled on the floor and told them that she had only been living in Seoul for three years, as she was originally from New Finally, after a few more minutes of waiting, the final three members walked in and shut the door behind them. The girl on the left was dressed for dance practice and had long orange hair only a few shades lighter than Bokyung's tucked into a messy ponytail. She introduced herself as Park Subin, the oldest member of Polaris and the lead rapper, and took the seat next to Seohyeon, while the two Sigma members smiled and bowed./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""My name is Kim Hyojin and I am the lead rapper and visual of Sigma. I think I recognise a few of you already." She flicked her black hair from her shoulder and strutted to her seat, smiling at Jimin down the table, as the two apparently knew each other already.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Finally, only one member remained, and she had the longest red hair that Eunjung had ever seen, almost reaching the girl's thighs. It was pulled into a ponytail, which she adjusted as she grinned at the eleven other girls. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey. I'm Choi Minjung, your last member. I'm a main vocalist for Sigma and I apologise, but you'll have to help me out in training because I literally started yesterday. Please don't get mad when I mess up!" Her dark eyes twinkled mischeviously as she took the last seat. Eunjung and Bokyung eyed each other from opposite ends of the table and finally, Eunjung rose. Bokyung smirked, having won the silent argument, and slumped back in her seat.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, now we all know each other. I am Eunjung, leader and lead singer of Polaris, and this is Bokyung, who has the same roles in Sigma. First, we'd like to acknowledge the effort that it has taken us all to debut - we've all worked hard and difficult times will come, but together, we can work through it and emerge into a better day. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""In six months, we will debut and perform on our separate debut stages, Polaris here in Korea, Sigma in Japan, so like I said, we'll have to work extremely hard to be ready when that time arrives. I have no doubts that we can do it. With that, our schedules for the rest of the day have been suspended so that we can move into our new dorms, so if you guys want to do something...?" Eunjung trailed off questioningly, suddenly very self-concious. Luckily, Bokyung picked up where the other had left off.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I was thinking that we could go out to dinner together and get to know each other better and then move into our dorms," she suggested. "Because only a few of us actually know each other, and then there's Minjung-ah to consider, seeing as she only began training yesterday."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yes!" Eunjung accepted, grateful that the other leader had helped her out. "Great idea, unnie. Let's all go and find a restaurant and then we can begin to unpack."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The next day would reveal to them the demo of their debut song, which would put everything into place ready for their debut in half a year. Eunjung couldn't be happier.p 


	3. 2 Complicated EUNJUNG

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"May 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung's stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots. Her Sigma counterpart, Bokyung, was currently sniffling, attempting to hide the tears that were spilling from her eyes as they made their way towards the building that housed the PoleStar dorms. It was important that they not give anything away about the two groups while they were in public, their managers had told them, so the two girls tried to keep their faces clear of any emotions, but it was hard, especially with the knowledge of what they had just been told weighing on their shoulders like boulders.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Once they had made it into the common room area where the two groups could hang out while Sigma was in Korea, Bokyung burst into tears. Eunjung immediately grabbed the older girl in a hug.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's okay, Bokyung-ah," she murmered. "It'll be okay. We'll work something out. It's not like they're dropping Sigma completely."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But you heard what Young-Min-ssi said, Eunjung. If we're not ready, they might drop us."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What's going on?" a voice from behind them asked. Eunjung turned around so fast that her head spun. It was Subin, the eldest member of Polaris and their lead rapper. As usual, she looked stoic, but she frowned at Bokyung. "And why is Kyungie crying?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The Polaris leader sighed, putting her arm around Bokyung's shoulders. "Come on, we'd better go and tell our members the bad news. Subin unnie, you go ahead and gather the others, we'll be there in a minute."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Once the lead rapper had nodded and left, Eunjung placed her hands on Bokyung's trembling shoulders. She had never seen her friend this down in the two years that they had known each other, and all she knew was that she had to calm her down before they informed PoleStar of the decision that had been made by their management. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't mean to seem so cruel, but we need to pull ourselves together, Kyungie. We can't appear this upset to our members; we're the leaders, and they'll be looking to us to help keep everything together. So, come on," she told the shorter girl, swapping to English for the first time in months. "Chin up, kid. We can do this! It's just a minor setback and in a year's time, we'll look back and laugh at how dramatic we were. Let's get this over and done with, yeah?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Bokyung took in a shuddering breath, smiled weakly and wiped her eyes. "You're right, Jung-ah. Let's go."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"And with that, the leaders opened the door to the Polaris sitting room and faced the ten artists in front of them.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What's going on? Subin said you have an important announcement to make," Jimin demanded, whiny as usual. Eunjung pinned the lead rapper with a smirk.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""She said that, huh?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well," Subin replied, unfazed. "It looked important."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Bokyung sighed, leaning against the wall. "It is, you are right. Listen, this is going to be very hard for us all, so before we tell you, I just want to say that this is not the end. It's just a minor setback." p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"There was a chorus of 'what?'s and confused glances were exchanged. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Kim Min-Young has just informed us of a big decision. Polaris will debut as planned, with our music video airing on July 7th, but Sigma's debut will be postponed," Eunjung explained, hands spread in front of her as if offering the explanation up to her members.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""WHAT?" Chaerin, ever the drama queen, exploded, standing up from her perch on the arm of the sofa that the ten girls had somehow managed to gather around. "Why?!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, the managers seem to think that we aren't going to be ready in time. It was always bound to happen, what with Minjungie coming in so late. Not that it's your fault, of course it isn't," Bokyung quickly added, appealing straight to the main vocalist. "Rather, it's SM's fault for expecting so much of you so quickly."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Does this mean that we won't be getting our showcase like EXO?" Kin piped up. Unlike when they had first met three months earlier, the Chinese member's Korean had improved drastically. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung nodded slowly. "It does mean that our showcase is cancelled. However, our teasers will go up as planned. It just means that Sigma's promotions will be later than ours."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""How much later is 'later'?" Akemi asked, her arm still firmly around Minjung's shoulders. The redhead had been silent since she had heard that Sigma would be postponed, which was unlike her - she and Chaerin were usually the first to start talking. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We... Don't exactly know just yet," Bokyung answered reluctantly. "Whenever the managers are satisfied with us, I suppose."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But that could take years! You know what Daseun manager-nim is like - he's a slave driver!" Hyojin complained from beside Jimin. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""All we have to do is try our best, unnie, that's all we can do," Akemi encouraged. "We can do it! If they thought we were a lost cause, they would have just dropped us, and that hasn't happened, right?" The last question was aimed straight at the leaders who shook their heads firmly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sigma's debut has not been cancelled," Eunjung said. "Just postponed - that's what we were told."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""So you six will debut in July and we'll work even harder than before so that we can join you quickly!" Bokyung added, determined. "We can do it!"br With that, the meeting was over and the two leaders moved to sit with their members./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You okay, Minjungie?" Eunjung asked the vocalist quietly as she sat beside Akemi. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"She shrugged. "I guess. I always knew that I was holding everyone back,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""No, unnie, you aren't holding anyone back!" Akemi told her, upset. "You're working really hard!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""She's right, Minjung," Eunjung told her. "The managers are never happy. Just carry on trying your best and Sigma will debut in no time,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Minjung smiled a tiny smile, just the corners of her mouth turning up. "Thanks, you two. You're the best." With that she stood and clapped to get the attention of the rest of the girls. "Anybody want fried chicken? I'm buying!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Just like that, the negative atmosphere faded and the twelve members pulled on jackets and shoes, ready to go out and forget their worries and stress, if just for that night. p 


	4. 3 Making History SEOHYEON

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"7th July 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The day had finally come for Polaris' music video for their debut song, 'POLARIS', to be revealed to the world. After months of excruiciating dance practices, singing until they lost their voices and constantly re shooting their teasers, July 7th was finally here and their MV was uploaded. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The six members were sat on the sofa in their dorm, the laptop on the coffee table, watching the views rise and the comments pour in. Their teasers had gone down extremely well and had been released months before debut, which meant that the fans had already mostly picked their biases. Many had been upset and angry to learn that Sigma wouldn't be debuting with their sister group, but understood that SM only wanted the best from the other six girls. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Why does YouTube always get stuck on three hundred and one views?" Chaerin groaned, staring at the screen in front of her.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's annoying as heck," Gayoon agreed, stealing Jimin's bubble tea and taking a sip. The black-haired member scowled playfully and snatched it back, making a show of wiping the straw clean. Seohyeon held back a snort as she watched the display. Jimin wasn't her favourite person, but she was the main vocalist's room-mate, so she held her feelings back. As far as Jimin knew, the maknae loved her. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm going to order in some food, does anybody have any preferences, or do I just get a range?" Eunjung called from the kitchen, the phone already in her hand.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""GET ME SOME JJAJJANGMYEON, UNNIE!" Chaerin yelled in an necessarily loud voice, causing the other four girls that were sat beside her to wince; Subin frowned at the brunette.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Kwon Chaerin, you are entirely too loud,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shh, I want to watch the MV again!" she fired back, waving a hand in the eldest member's direction; the latter rolled her eyes and clicked play, forcing them all to sit through their video again. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It was odd, Seohyeon thought, watching yourself dance and sing on screen, all dressed up and styled. Even stranger to watch people respond to it almost as soon as it had finished uploading, if she was honest. They honestly hadn't expected so many people to tune in, even though they knew that their debut had been highly anticipated. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"There was a knock at the door halfway through their fourth time watching the music video ("What's wrong with adding to the views ourselves?" Chaerin had demanded, daring someone to contradict her.) and the six girls looked at each other, wondering who it could be. Finally, Eunjung sighed and hauled herself off the sofa, shoving Subin and Gayoon aside as she rose.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are you going to let us in or are the sasaengs going to find us out here and spread indecent rumours?!" a voice demanded from the outside and Seohyeon grinned as the leader flung the door open.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yah, Byun Baekhyun, would you mind keeping your voice down?" she whisper-shouted to the lead vocalist of EXO-K as she ushered them inside the dorm like a mom. "Some of us are trying to watch our own MV in here!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We know," Suho explained as he shut the door behind him. "That's why we're here. We thought you'd like to celebrate with us! And since you obviously can't come to the EXO dorm because of the fans, we thought we'd come here instead. We bought food and drink-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Don't worry, I supplied my own chicken," Kai interrupted, smirking at the members in turn.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah that's nice and everything, but we already ordered celebratory jjajjangmyeon," Seohyeon put in, blunt as ever. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Maknae!" Subin frowned, whacking the youngest over the top of the head with a rolled up magazine from the coffee table. "Don't be rude, omo, how many times do I need to tell you?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sorry," the lead dancer said immediately, ducking her head causing her fringe to fall into her eyes. She was used to having to apologising for nearly everything she said after being around Subin and Eunjung. Really, the two were made from the same cloth when it came to disciplining the maknae.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, you'll just have to box it up and eat it tomorrow." Baekhyun said as he dumped the bag of food into D.O's arms, ushering him through into the kitchen. The vocalist glared at his member with the force of a thousand suns as he carted the meal into the room.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung gestured towards the sofa by way of offering the six men a seat (although how twelve people were meant to fit in front of one laptop, Seohyeon didn't know) while Kyungsoo bumped and banged in the small kitchen. By the time he was done and had arrived with pate upon plate of delicious looking food, the only place for him to sit was on the arm of the sofa next to Eunjung, who was wedged in beside Gayoon. He said nothing, but Seohyeon watched as he rolled his eyes and passed around the plates, perching next to the leader.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Seohyeon herself was sat on the floor, Kai to her right, knee somehow twisted around the coffee table leg - there really wasn't room for twelve people in Polaris' sitting room. She was quite friendly with Jongin, having trained with him pre-debut. Each of the members of Polaris had been paired up with a member of EXO for training purposes, which meant that they were quite close to the idols. Some of the fans didn't like it, but there you go; you couldn't please everyone. Eunjung had been practicing her vocals with D.O, Chaerin with Chen (she had firmly turned down the offer of partnering with Baekhyun as the two didn't get on that well. The rest didn't really understand why, but Seohyeon supposed that people who were too alike didn't get along). Gayoon had instead spent the few weeks with Baekhyun, while Jimin worked with Suho. Subin had, of course, hung out with Chanyeol, seeing as they were both lead rappers, and the rest of the girls had seen the eldest member really come out of her shell.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""So how many views are you at now?" D.O asked, attempting to balance on the arm of the sofa; Jimin leaned forward to check. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Woah - three hundred thousand! It's only been up three hours!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"There was a chorus of cheers and surprised laughter as they all craned their necks to look at the figure. Eunjung was the only one who didn't move - Seohyeon strongly suspected that her leader had frozen from shock.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well done! Yah, we're so proud of you guys! You know, we have yet to watch it all the way through," Suho congratulated, clapping his hands a little. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, well - I suppose we could watch it one more time. Just for EXO-K," Chaerin teased, pressing the play button. Immediately, everybody became quiet to allow their six sunbaenims to take in the debut. When it was finished, Polaris looked worriedly from one member to the other, awaiting their verdict.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Looks like my words of wisdom paid off," D.O said first, ruffling Eunjung's hair. "Your high note was impressive-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""SUBIN, YOUR RAP WAS GREAT!" Chanyeol interrupted, hugging the oldest member, who struggled to throw him off. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You were ALL amazing, well done!" Suho corrected, smiling at the girls.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I mean, I guess you danced pretty well," Kai muttered to Seohyeon, smirking. "Maybe. Can't imagine how good your instructor must have been at dance, though."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Seohyeon snorted. "I thought he was a bit full of himself, actually. Talented, though," she allowed when Jongin spluttered.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""How about we go visit Sigma at the common room?" Eunjung suggested as she piled the empty plates on the coffee table, closing the laptop. "They said they wanted us to drop in at some point, and it wouldn't be as awkward with EXO there."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Good idea, Jungie," Chaerin praised, standing with some difficulty (she had been stuck between Baekhyun, much to her disgust, and Jimin). "Let's take the laptop so we can check up on the views, too!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"With that, the twelve idols gathered their belongings and made their way towards the door. As Seohyeon shut the door, she smiled to herself. If this was how it would be every time they had a release, she thought that she would always love being in Polaris.p 


	5. 4 Rivalry GAYOON

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"9th July 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon had always known what it was that she wanted to do with her life when she grew up; it wasn't a question of whether it would ever be possible, it was a question of when the right moment would arrive. That moment had come in April 2012, when she had been spotted by an SM Entertainment scout at a school function when she was singing. She had been urged to audition to enter the company and had, luckily, got in. She remembered the day very vividly - she had met Hyojin, the lead rapper from Sigma, there the same day and the two had swapped email addresses to keep in touch. So when Jimin said that she had been Gayoon's first friend in the company, it wasn't exactly true.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin, though. She was always around Gayoon, either chattering endlessly on about something completely unrelated to what they were doing at the time, or complaining about something. Usually, she only complained about things that directly affected her, like her outfits (she usually didn't like them), or her make-up (something about it wasn't done right) or else things that the other members had said (Eunjung and Subin often told her off). But lately, the main vocalist had been bugging Gayoon about her position in the group.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Gayoon-ah," she said in a quiet voice as Polaris bumped around their dorm on the day of their debut stage on 'Show Champion'. "Do you really think you were given the right role? I mean, the way I see it is you have a much better voice than Eunjung. We all know that the only reason she was made lead vocalist is because she's the leader, and personally, I think you'd do a much better job at both."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Unnie, the management decided this for a good reason," Gayoon replied, not quite agreeing with herself even as she said it. She didn't like to gossip behind people's backs, but it seemed that it was Jimin's favourite past time.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""They can be wrong. Look, we all know that Eunjung had to be given extra training because her voice wasn't up to scratch - that's why we all ended up being partnered with EXO in the first place! The rest of us didn't even need the extra help,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We benefited from it, though," the blonde put in, pursing her lips as she tried to choose between a stripy red shirt and a plain shirt for the trip to the recording studio.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin sighed, picking out the red striped shirt for her member. "Gayoon. There's still time to ask the managers to reconsider our positions. I'm just trying to look out for you, that's all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon sighed and pulled the shirt on. "I know. Thanks, Jimin."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"An hour and a half later, with what Jimin had said that morning still ringing in her ears, Gayoon glared at Eunjung across the stage that they were meant to be performing on. As it was, the managers were angrily spitting out corrections to Chaerin (she had been in the wrong place at least four times in their latest rehearsal), hands flying in all directions as they attempted to drill the choreography into her head. Eunjung, meanwhile, approached Gayoon.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey, Gayoon-ah. Listen, I just want to say this before the managers do because they're being pretty hard on Chaerin over there-" 'emWhy don't you help her and stand up for her, then, as you are meant to be our leader?em' Gayoon thought viciously. "But you're a few steps out on the second chorus. You're meant to be hitting the step forward on the first beat, not the second. And you were slightly out when you sang your high note in the bridge." The leader wiped a hand over her face, risking her make-up, obviously exhausted and stressed. "I'm not nitpicking, but they'll give you hell for it, so I just wanted to be nice-"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You call criticising everything I do being 'nice', do you, unnie?" Gayoon asked sarcastically before she could stop herself. Seohyeon, who was the closest to the two, looked over curiously. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm sorry?" Eunjung asked politely, confused.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's just that you're constantly telling me I'm doing things wrong! In the studio, in the practice rooms, and even now. If I was doing it wrong, the manager-nims would have come over to yell at me too!" The blonde vocalist was really getting into her stride now, every little thing that had gotten to her since before they even debuted pouring out in a torrent against the redhead.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm not always telling you that you're doing things wrong, Gayoon-ah," Eunjung put in calmly. "We all give each other constructive criticism. You point out when I go wrong, too, and I'm thankful for it,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But you're nearly always wrong! I don't know how you even got to be lead vocalist!" Gayoon exploded. Everyone in the room turned to look at the idols. Eunjung sucked in a hurt breath and held her hands together to stop them from shaking.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We all have an equal amount of responsibilities in the songs, no matter whether we're vocalists or dancers or rappers," she said quietly. "We're all trying our best, and it's my job as leader of Polaris to make sure everything is running smoothly-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, you're not doing a very good job," Gayoon interrupted snidely. "Are you? Seeing as none of us can stand you."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey, that's not true," Seohyeon put in timidly from the side, ever the mediator. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""This isn't helping anything," Subin added. "Let's move onto our next rehearsal so we can get this all done and go home. You're tired and hungry and we all need a rest-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Subin unnie is right, Gayoon," Eunjung told the blonde, her voice low. "Let's just forget this ever happened and go home."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You know what? Jimin's right," Gayoon spat, disgusted. "You are rubbish at being a leader, and as a lead vocalist, you suck. You didn't even deserve to be accepted into the company as a trainee, let alone debut in such a high rank. You should just go back to your precious emEnglandem and the rest of us would be a lot happier!"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Silence met the heated words until their main manager stepped in. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Girls, stop this right now. Get into your places and film this performance and you can rip each other to shreds when you get back to the dorm. Now!" he added when nobody moved, clapping his hands together twice.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"After one more rehearsal, Polaris finally managed to move onto the filming portion of their debut stage, which was filmed in a box set not unlike that of EXO's 'Overdose' comeback stage on M!Countdown; after two attempts, the managers and staff were finally happy with a cut and they were allowed to go home. The whole time, though Gayoon and Eunjung didn't so much as look at each other.p 


	6. 5 Unbreakable JIMIN

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"30th September 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It had been a difficult debut; technically, Polaris had been very well-received, even managing to scrape a win on Music Bank before their debut stages ended and preparations for their next release began. They had been gaining fans by the day, fans who were enthusiastic but also kind. Jimin encountered a few of them on her way into the SM Entertainment building on the night of the thirtieth of September.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""JIMIN!" one of them screamed, a girl of around fifteen. She was straining forward, trying to get closer to the idol who smiled and made to walk past. "Wait! I made something for you!" the girl yelled desperately. Jimin faltered; she had been told to not take anything that the fans handed to her outside the SM building as there had been times in the past that they had been drugged or were dangerous in some other way. But there was nobody around to stop her, and she took the offered gift as she passed the fan, nodding her head and tucking whatever it was into her pocket so that in the cacophony of screams and 'look here!'s, whatever gift she had accepted wouldn't be noticed. She would get one of the managers to check it over when she got in, she reasoned, and in the meantime, she could keep hold of it.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The code was punched in and the vocalist was finally let into the lobby. She made straight for the dance practice room, hurrying slightly as she was already late and wasn't on the best of terms with Eunjung (the leader still hadn't quite forgiven Jimin and Gayoon for the argument at their debut stage three months ago). Jimin took the stairs two at a time and practically sprinted down the hallway until she found the correct studio, bursting through the door and making straight for the group huddled near the corner.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey," she panted, doubling over in an attempt to get some air, black hair swinging into her face. "Sorry I'm late, the fans are blocking the doors and there's no security out right now,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's okay," Eunjung allowed, pulling away from the window; she had obviously seen Jimin try to fight her way through the doors a few minutes earlier. "Sigma aren't here yet, anyway."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sigma are coming?" Seohyeon asked, something akin to excitement shining in her eyes. The maknae barely ever showed emotion, so Chaerin gaped at the dancer for a while.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yeah, we're going to be doing a joint intro performance for a stage at Gayo Daejun. We're going to be doing something with EXO, too, but we haven't had any news about what just yet."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Why are we learning all this now and not closer to the actual show, Jungie?" Chaerin asked, always needing to be vocal. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Our comeback is going to be sometime near then, stupid," Seohyeon responded before the leader could speak, voice flat as usual, one eyebrow raised. "So it's logical that we're learning all of this now so that we can be more prepared for the actual comeback. Duh."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Manners," Subin reminded the dancer sternly while the others rolled their eyes.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, that makes sense," Gayoon allowed. "So... Are we just dancing? Or dancing and singing?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's a cover," a voice answered from the doorway; Jimin spun on her heel to see Bokyung entering, the rest of Sigma behind her looking slightly dishevelled. "A medley of Girls' Generation songs. We've yet to record them, but the dances have already been planned, so the recording can wait."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey, guys! It's been a while," Eunjung welcomed their sister group, approaching Bokyung for a hug while Jimin grinned at Hyojin, who was the person that she was closest to by far. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Too long!" Minjung added with a laugh. She seemed a lot more relaxed now that Sigma's own debut was coming the following week. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Right, yes, hello everyone," the dancing instructor snapped, brushing past the group that was huddled at the door as he entered the room. "Reunited at last, blah blah blah. Let's get started! I want the dance line up front and centre!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The twelve girls practiced their dances until late into the night, making it back to the dorm at nearly midnight. They were exhausted, but not too tired to talk to each other for what was the first time in three months that they had seen each other for more than fifteen minutes. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't know, Jimin," Hyojin muttered as Jimin, Gayoon and herself settled into a corner in the common room. "The idea of Sigma debuting has been a bit like a faraway dream for so long than now it's actually happening, I'm a little scared."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Don't worry, Hyojin-ah," Jimin reassured the older rapper. "You guys will do fine! It's not nearly as scary as you think it's going to be, debuting. I mean, it's still pretty frightening, but you can't let a bit of stage fright put you off when you've worked so hard to get here. Look, if you go into this with the mindset that 'yes, I'm going to enjoy myself now', then the whole experience will be a lot more enjoyable for you,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Plus, we'll be watching your debut stage on the livestream and we'll skype you straight away, so it'll be just like having us there!" Gayoon added.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But you won't be there; we'll be in Japan, and you'll be here in Korea, and you know what? It feels kind of lonely."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hyojin, stop it," Jimin said firmly. "Everything will go amazingly! Look at Polaris - Gayoon and Eunjung had a huge blowout on our debut, and we still pulled off a great performance, not that I'm being cocky," she said. "You guys have worked so hard! Don't let anything spoil it!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Hyojin smiled at them both. "You're right. Ah, I'm just going to miss you guys, that's all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin shifted and the gift that the fan had given her earlier fell from her pocket. She picked it up, glancing over the twelve obviously handmade keyrings that had each of their names on. She disconnected the Sigma keyrings and handed them to Hyojin, unwinding Gayoon's and handing that to said member. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What's this?" Gayoon asked, confused.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""A fan gave it to me when I was trying to get into the SM building earlier," Jimin explained. "I completely forgot I had them."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Wonderful!" Hyojin responded, examining the gift. "But why are you giving these to me?" p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I was thinking that we should each have the one with our name on it, as it was obviously intended to be by that little girl. That way, when Sigma and Polaris are away from one another, we can look at our keyrings and think not only of how lucky we are to have our fans, but how lucky we are to have each other. Then, I don't know, maybe we won't miss each other so much."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon grinned. "That's a lovely idea!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin pulled out her phone and took a quick photo of the keyrings, posting it to Instagram with the caption: 'Thank you to the fan who made us these! I've distributed them throughout Polaris and Sigma. realhanni_at, aren't both of our fans so talented? ^.^'p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"She smiled as a notification popped up telling her that he had liked her picture. p 


	7. 6 Homesick EUNJUNG

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"Early November 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It was rare for Polaris to have a day off, and the idols were ready to take full advantage of their empty Wednesday. Chaerin had been chattering animatedly with Luna from f(x) the night before, sorting out places that they could go to eat and do some shopping without being harassed too much by the paparazzi, while Jimin had arranged to meet up with her boyfriend Hanni, who was a rapper from a Pledis rookie group, Acid Teochii. Heavens knew what Gayoon, Seohyeon and Subin were planning to do, Eunjung thought as she lay in her bed, staring at the early morning light edge across the plain ceiling. Subin had mentioned spending some time with Chanyeol to work on her rap parts for their swiftly approaching comeback, but Gayoon was apparently having a lie-in, seeing as she shared a room with the leader and hadn't risen yet.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Sighing, Eunjung eased herself out of her bed and softly padded out of the door and into the kitchen, which was dark and spotlessly clean, meaning that none of the others that woken up yet. She rifled through the tea cupboard (each member liked a different type of tea, so there were always six or more different boxes of various teas in the cupboard in the corner to the right of the window) until she found some ordinary English breakfast tea, and began to make some breakfast. Soup was the easiest option, seeing as the others would probably be getting up soon, so the leader busied herself with making that as she watched the sun rise higher in the sky outside the dorm. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The dish was finished and still warm when the members began to trickle out of the door, each girl grabbing a bowl on their way to something that they had planned, leaving Eunjung on her own with Subin, who was waiting for Chanyeol to turn up (he was late again, which the rapper wasn't too happy about). Subin wasn't the most talkative of people, so the two idols found themselves in a companionable silence until Chanyeol knocked on the door.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Wait," Subin paused as she was already halfway out of the dorm. "Jungie, aren't you doing anything?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung shrugged. "I don't have any plans, if that's what you mean. I might clean a little, work on some more of my parts because a couple need to be redone."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You can come with us," Chanyeol offered, grinning like a puppy as he poked his head into the room. "We don't mind having you around. I mean, you're not emtooem boring,"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Gee, thanks, Park," Eunjung responded sarcastically. "I'm good, but thank you. I'll get some peace and quiet with you all out."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It took a little more convincing, but the lead vocalist finally managed to get the pair on their way to the SM building. It wasn't until she was sat back on the couch that Eunjung realised just how quiet it was in the dorm without the other five girls to keep her company. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"She missed home like crazy; in England, she always knew where she could go if she was lonely and bored, always knew that a friend was just around the corner from her, which park she could hang out in if she wanted to get a breath of fresh air. In Seoul, she didn't know many places, despite the fact that she had been there for over three years. More than the feeling of being in her home country, Eunjung missed her parents and friends so much that it felt like an ache in her chest. She spoke to her Mom and Dad every night and her best friend every week, but the others who she had thought of as her close friends had all dropped off when she had moved, when she had been to exhausted from her training and school to skype with them every night like they had promised. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest, trying and failing to concentrate on the drama on TV. Maybe she should have taken Chanyeol and Subin up on their offer, after all. At least then she wouldn't be so lonely.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The idol was still contemplating whether it would be too late to catch them up when there was a knock at the front door, making her jump off the sofa in shock. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey," the visitor uttered when she opened the door; a smile immediately broke onto her face.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""D.O," she said. "Did Chanyeol send you?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah," he answered, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe. Maybe not. All you know is that I'm here to relieve you of the crushing boredom that is left when your members are out without you,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Who says I'm bored?" she teased, stepping aside to let him in. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""True, you don't look bored," he agreed as he shut the door behind him. "You look sad. What's got you down, Jungie?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"As if she could put it into words. She had been good friends with the EXO lead singer ever since he had mentored her before Polaris had debuted, so him turning up unannounced at her dorm wasn't too uncommon. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm homesick, that's all," she answered finally, plopping back onto the couch. "Everyone else made plans and I have no idea what to do in Seoul, so I'm just staying in like a vegetable."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Homesick, huh? I know it's not the same, but I miss my family like mad sometimes. It must be awful to be so far away from home. When was the last time you were in England?" he asked, sitting beside her, planting a plastic bag that was stuffed full of what looked and smelt like food on the coffee table. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I haven't been back since I began training," Eunjung replied quietly. "So three years, nearly four."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Silence reigned for a few minutes, and then D.O broke it.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Let's do something. Something that isn't work. I mean, I don't dislike working on your vocals with you, but it's our day off and we should enjoy it instead of moping around your dorm."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung was immediately suspicious. "What kind of 'something' would we be doing, D.O?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"He chuckled. "I thought I told you to call me 'Kyungsoo'. Why do you keep insisting on calling me by my stage name?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Because I'll forget to call you 'D.O' in public and then the managers will yell at me!" p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""So don't forget then, stupid!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung settled for hitting him in the arm, hard. "Shut up, like you guys don't slip up all the time and call each other by your real names. Besides, you still haven't answered my question yet: what's on the agenda for today?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"He thought for a minute. "Well, I already made food..."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""NO PICNICS!" the redhead exploded. "Last time was a emdisasterem! Chaerin nearly pushed Baekhyun into the pond and Suho fussed around everyone like a mother hen."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Kyungsoo scrunched his eyes up at the memory, as though it was a bad taste in his mouth. "Picnics are cheesy, Eunjung. I wasn't going to suggest one - I thought we were meant to know each other so well and everything. I'm disappointed."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shut up," she retorted in English. "I can just talk in English like this all day and annoy you because you don't know what I'm saying,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, I could counter you by speaking in Mandarin-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Your Mandarin is crap and we all know it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"He scowled at her. "You're not my favourite person!" he announced in broken English (though she had to admit, his pronunciation was pretty on point).p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You could just say, 'I don't like you', you know. It's the same thing and it makes more sense."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""STOP SPEAKING IN ENGLISH!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung let out a short laugh before messing his hair up. "Calm down, calm down. I thought you were meant to be learning English. What happened?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I emamem learning English. It doesn't mean that you babbling away in your confusing accent is easy for me to understand!"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Fair enough. I could teach you if you want?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Kyungsoo sized her up. "Chaerin speaks English too, you know,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But she's annoying, you said so last time you were here. Plus, I have the added advantage of, you know, actually embeing Englishem."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Good point," he admitted, pointing a finger at her. "But not today. Today is a day of rest and recuperation."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"There was another moment of quiet.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Wanna lounge in the dorm all day, eating food and watching TV?" she asked hopefully.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Kyungsoo grinned at her, already reaching for the bag. "You're on."p 


	8. 7 Obsession SUBIN

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"November 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"With their comeback approaching, Subin was worried out of her mind. True, she wasn't the leader of POLARIS, as Jimin kept on reminding her, but she was still the oldest in the group and that meant that she carried some responsibilities. It was well known that she sometimes took on some of Eunjung's job without meaning to, such as bossing the younger members around or telling the leader herself what to do; it was something that she couldn't turn off, as she had meant to be the group's leader before Eunjung was chosen. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"After seeing how things had been going in the kpop world lately, Subin was terrified that something would go wrong, only adding to the growing list of scandals that were accumalating for SM Entertainment. To be honest, she was still surprised at the fact that their debut had been so well-recieved, considering everything that had been against them at the time. And as far as the public knew, POLARIS were as close as sisters, though they had all witnessed many heated conversations and full-out screaming fits (usually between Jimin and Chaerin, who seemed to grate on each others nerves quite a lot). The incident that stood out in particular to Subin was the one that mild, quiet Gayoon had initiated with Eunjung, who was a real sweetheart. The lead rapper couldn't quite believe what she had seen, even months later. The two had agreed silently to not talk about it, yet there had been no apologies. It made for an awkward moment whenever they got annoyed with each other.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Most days, though, they were very close, though not like sisters - more like a bunch of friends, and not necessarily close friends at that. They often stayed as a group to do things like eating and watching TV, but it wasn't uncommon for Jimin to take off without so much as a word to meet up with her boyfriend (Jimin, Eunjung and Seohyeon, who had overheard the conversation, had refused to tell the others who he was). Even Chaerin, who seemed the type to want to stay with the group, had gone out a few times, presumably to visit old friends or family. Eunjung had a habit of staying at the studio for extended hours, determined to get her vocals right and Seohyeon barely left the practice room, being lead dance. Gayoon had taken to locking herself in her and Eunjung's shared room at the dorm (effectively locking Eunjung out, which always caused a ten minute struggle before bed for the leader to be able to get into her room to sleep) to practice her vocals. The biggest surprise, however, was Jimin. The visual was usually the biggest perfectionist out of the six of them, but she had skipped a few practices that week, which was odd. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin, therefore, was left trying to find somewhere to improve her vocal and rap parts for the new songs. She had enlisted the help of SHINee's Minho a few times, as she had trouble focusing on learning her lines anywhere other than the practice room (which was always occupied by Seohyeon when Subin needed it). She had even desperately accepted Suho's offer to use the EXO dorm when they were away in China for their concerts to practice. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"So now, barely two months away from their comeback, Subin had kicked the maknae out of the practice room, as she had thoughtlessly neglected her dance practice in order to perfect her rap. She was still struggling with one of the more complicated steps. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Frustated, she restarted the track and walked to the centre of the room, focusing on her reflection in the mirror in front of her. She had to get this right, otherwise she would be the only member who hadn't got it, which was embarassing when you considered the fact that Eunjung was the worst dancer in the group and she had learned it pretty much the day it had been shown to them. Subin didn't know what it was about the sequence that she couldn't quite get right, but there it was, right when the second half of the chorus began. She stumbled to the side and glared at her reflection.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh! Sorry, I didn't know anybody was in here!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The rapper's head snapped up to the voice and stared uncomprehendingly at the figure standing in the doorway awkwardly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Lay?" she asked, blinking to clear her head. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sorry, Subin-ah," he repeated. "I couldn't see anybody in here through the glass in the door, so I assumed that it was empty," p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah" Subin responded, embarrassed. "I'm just trying to get this step right for the comeback and I fell."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Lay shifted the bag that was on his shoulder slightly. "Do you need any help? I can help!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin considered it - she knew that Seohyeon was more comfortable when dancing with Jongin, but in all truthfullness, he kind of intimidated her. Lay was nicer, in a way, less intense, and he was a brilliant dancer.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""If you could, I'd be in your debt forever," she finally answered with a small smile. "It's just the one step, but it completely throws me off, which is embarrassing. Even Jungie learned it, but I can't get the hang of it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Yixing smiled and shut the door behind him, dumping his bag in the corner and approached the rapper. "Do you have the choreography so I could take a look?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sure, it's on my phone."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It turned out that it took EXO's dancer literally thirty minutes to learn the choreography until the end of the first chorus, and he stood with his back to the mirror as he restarted the track.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, you're going to dance and I'm going to find out where it is you're going wrong. You ready?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin squared her shoulders and nodded. The intro of the song suddenly filled the room and Subin began to perform. Sure enough, she faltered at the troublesome sequence and huffed as she brushed her hair out of her face.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Right," Yixing commented as he paused the music. "I know what it is."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yeah, so do I. I suck," the rapper tacked on. "I'm so annoyed with myself!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You do not suck," Lay reprimanded. "You're just spinning on the wrong foot."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin blinked at him for a few seconds. "What?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That's all it is - in the video, the teacher spins clockwise on her left foot, but you're going on your right. After that, you're meant to step forward and around Gayoon for the next line on your right foot, but you can't, because it's now in the wrong place."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You have to be kidding me. That's it? That's what's making me mess up?" Subin double checked. "You're sure?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"He nodded. "Positive. Here, I'll restart the song and be Gayoon and this time, spin on your left, step with your right. Get your arms into the right position as you're stepping, not when you're already in your place."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"This time, when the chorus started, Subin exectuted the steps perfectly, stepping around Lay and in front of him, ready to dance the rest of the chorus.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""See, you did it!" he called above the music as he jogged towards the stereo in the corner of the room. "That's all you need to remember! When's your nect group practice?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin, so happy that she almost felt like crying, grinned at his back. "Tomorrow at nine,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You'll have it down by then, for sure," he reassured her. "Let's go again, just a few more times, to see whether you can remember it. Ready?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"In the car on the way back to the dorm that night with Eunjung sat next to her, Subin was full of happiness that she had finally learned the dance to their title track. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Someone looks happy," the leader noted as she smirked at her twitter feed. "Did Chanyeol buy you ramyun again?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shut up," Subin responded without any real heat. "And for the record, I was only happy that day because I learned my rap part for 'Skin'."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Then what's put you in such a good mood this time?" Eunjung questioned, switching to Instagram and frowning when she saw a post by Jimin, who had once again not turned up to practice that morning. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, nothing, you know. We've had good weather today. I ate kalguksu. I finally mastered the dance for the title track..." she tacked on airily. Eunjung's head snapped up.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You got it? The chorus step? Ah unnie, I'm happy! Now Seohyeon can stop being a stuck up bitch when you mess it up!" Eunjung congratulated the older girl, patting her shoulder.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Seo will never stop being a bitch," Subin pointed out. "And yeah, I finally got it. Lay helped a bit - he accidentally came into the practice room because he thought it was empty and then offered to teach it to me. You know what it was I was doing wrong?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Forgetting your training in dance?" Eunjung asked playfully.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shut up," the rapper said, feeling like that was going to be her line of the night. The leader seemed to be in an abnormally good mood, which meant that she was going to play everybody up. "I was spinning on the wrong foot. How stupid is that? He picked it up straight away and when he said it, I just thought 'Oh yeah. Well. That's dumb.'."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah," the redhead nodded slightly. "There you go, then. You're ready for the group practice in the morning? You can pretend to be all nervous and annoyed about not having learned the sequence and then wipe the smile off everybody's faces when you ace it!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin frowned at the younger singer. "You're kind of scary sometimes, you know that, Choi Eunjung? That's cruel."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Maknae extraordinaire deserves to be proven wrong every once in a while," she finally responded, turning back to her phone. "That's why I'm here."p 


	9. 8 Lesson GAYOON

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"November 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"br The finishing touches were being made on the mini album and Gayoon was finding herself feeling more and more relieved the closer the date of the last recording session came. She was sure that the others were still feeling the pressure, but once the songs were all finished, all they had to do was practice them and finish the dances, as far as their performance schedules went. A little closer to the comeback date, they would record the music video and teaser as well as being styled ready for their photoshoots. It was a busy time, arguably even busier than when they debuted, but the main vocalist was almost happy, becasue at least she knew what was coming with the other schedules./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The song that had been stressing the second oldest out the most was in a completely different language - if it had been in Japanese, they all would have been a least a little comfortable with it, as they had been taught some Japanese before the final lineups for POLARIS and SIGMA had been decided. But fate had to play a cruel trick on Gayoon, as the song that they were set to record today was in English. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It was fine for Eunjung and Chaerin, as they both had English as their mother tongue; even Seohyeon could struggle through her parts. Subin, Jimin and Gayoon, however, had been struggling and the trainers weren't the most patient people. Jimin was the type to complain loudly when she couldn't get something right, but Subin and Gayoon would just keep quiet. Needless to say, the two had been almost silent for the entire day.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Gayoon-ah, you're up next," Chaerin called brightly from the door of the practice room. The main vocalist stiffled a sigh and slowly stood from her place in the corner of the room, taking her heavilly highlighted and annotated lyrics with her.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey," Chaerin stopped her. "Are you okay? You seem pretty quiet. More quiet than usual," she clarified when she got a blank look in return.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm okay," Gayoon replied heavilly. "It's just... It's in English, you know? I can't get the hang of it. I have a verse and a couple of other lines that I can't get the hang of."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin nodded in understanding, remembering how hard it had been for her to learn Korean when she had first arrived in the country eight years previously. "Well if you want I can come in with you and give you some tips? Seeing as I'm the resident English expert, and all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon smiled slightly. "I thought that was Eunjung?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shut up," Chaerin advised, throwing her arm around the vocalist's shoulders. "While she's not around to contradict me, I'm the best at English. While we take a emslowem walk to the booth, how about you point out the parts that you don't get?" Gayoon noticed that the lead vocalist had stressed the word 'slow', which probably meant that the American member was going to drag her off to another room and talk with her until she felt better. As annoying as she was most of the time with her incessant talking and harsh sense of humour, Kwon Chaerin could sometimes be quite caring and helpful. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It turned out that Gayoon was right - there was a small, narrow vocal room a little down the corridor from the recording booth that Chaerin dragged her into (hastilly, before the staff saw them) and more or less threw her into a seat.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Now," the lead vocalist began firmly, taking a seat herself and shuffling through her omnipresent lyrics booklet to the English song that they were recording. Where Gayoon's sheet was littered with cramped hangul notes and highlighting of every colour, Chaerin's was only highlighted in patches of blue - the parts that she had to sing. Of course, the older girl thought bitterly, Chaerin's first language was English, so she wouldn't have to annotate anything. "What parts are you worried about, exactly?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well..." She trailed off, scanning the page in front of her. "Pretty much my whole verse and the chorus. The adlibs I can do okay, it's just the rest."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Right! Pass me a sheet of blank paper from behind you and I'll write down some tips for the studio," Chaerin requested, pen at the ready. "And I'll go through the proper pronunciation. Sing your verse,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What, here? Now?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin was the type of person who quickly grew impatient if you questioned her, which Gayoon already knew from observing the other members - it was never something that was turned on her, as she rarely had a lot to contribute to the conversations that usually took place in the dorm. "Yes, now! What are you, deaf? I need to hear what's wrong to help you idiot. Now sing or I'll just go and eat like I was intending on doing before-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, okay!" Gayoon interrupted hastilly. "I'll sing it!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"While the main vocalist kept her eyes glued to the lyrics underneath her nose and struggled through the unfamiliar words, Chaerin tapped the cap of the pen against her lips in thought. When the last line trailed off, Chaerin smiled kindly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You're not as bad as you think, Yoon-ah. It's all in your head, that you're not doing it properly! Just... Don't pronounce your 'th's like 'd's and make sure to see the difference between 'l's and 'r's, that's pretty much all that's wrong. Oh, and don't turn things into plurals. You're doing that a lot."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""How do I not do that?" Gayoon asked desperately, watching the younger singer write everything down in neat handwriting on the blank paper.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Just stop putting 's' at the end of every word," was the sly reply that she got and she grimaced in response to the words.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""There you go," Chaerin said, holding out the tips. "You'd better get down the hallway and in front of the microphone now, or else the staff will think I've either kidnapped you or not told you. Both would get me into unecessary trouble."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay." Gayoon replied and stood, taking her things with her. She got to the door before turning back. "Thank you," p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The words were unexpectedly sincere and Chaerin was a little taken aback, but smiled. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's no problem. You can come to me any time you need English lessons, Yoon-ah."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The main vocalist nodded and all but ran into the recording room. She uttered an excuse to the staff as to why it had taken her so long to get there and slid into the booth, her lyrics booklet and tip sheet on the paper stand in front of her. Once the headphones were covering her ears, the music started and Gayoon sang the words carefully, trying to keep in mind all of the things that Chaerin had told her. She successfully made it through her verse and halfway through the chorus before she was stopped.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Good pronunciation, Gayoon," the producer praised. "Just re-do that chorus line, you can make the note more stable that that."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"All in all, it was the shortest amount of time that Gayoon had ever spent in the booth and even though she was proud of how her English sounded, she was filled to the brim with overwhelming relief that the whole ordeal was over.p 


	10. 9 Shades Of Grey CHAERIN

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"December 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"br Polaris' debut had been full to the brim with appearances on music shows to perform their song, yet it hadn't occurred to them that they had never had a real interview other than the short ones about their mini album and their introductions. So when Polaris were invited to do an interview for a website, their manager immediately accepted. It wasn't that they were never invited to those type of things - they were either busy or in their off period. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin woke up especially early to pick out some clothes to wear, jostling about her shared room with Subin, successfully waking the oldest member of the group up. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Chaerin," the rapper muttered, burying her face into her duvet. "Why are you up at five in the morning?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's the interview today, idiot," the vocalist answered without even so much as looking away from her wardrobe, the doors of which had been flung open. Luckily, she wasn't the type to fling her belongings everywhere while looking for something to wear, but she was a loud person in general, not just when she opened her mouth to speak or to sing. "I'm finding clothes, what does it look like I'm doing?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin sat up in bed, eyes half closed, the hair on the left side of her head crumpled and knotted, pillow lines on her cheeks. Chaerin snorted at the site of her - what she wouldn't give to let the fans see this side of them so that they would know that even idols weren't pretty all of the time. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Kwon Chaerin, I swear to god," she began in a serious tone that was slightly muffled by a yawn. "We're not even due at the place until nine! You are up three hours early."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yeaaaaah," Chaerin responded, dragging the word out. "But it's important! I'm not going to get ready straight away, obviously. But I just couldn't sleep any longer knowing that I hadn't got everything sorted ready for when we have to go."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And since when did you become the type of person who needs everything in order? There's a reason that I always yell at you to keep to your own side of the room, Rin - you're like some sort of reverse vacuum cleaner that throws up mess instead of taking it away."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You can just shut up," the vocalist warned. "I want this interview to go perfectly, okay? Is there anything wrong with that?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""There is when you wave me up at five in the morning. Just grab some clothes and go do your worrying in the lounge, will you? Let me get another hour." Subin begged, pulling out what Chaerin suspected was meant to be aegyo, but just made her look like she was vaguely constipated.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Fine, have it your way. Just don't be mad when I'm the best looking out of the lot of us."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"With that, she scooped up an armful of outfits and tottered into the lounge, half hidden behind the pile of garments in her arms. As a result, she bumped straight into another member.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""OH MY GO- Chaerin, what the hell?!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sorry, sorry!" she immediately apologised, shifting some of her clothes so that she could peer over the top of the mountain. "Sorry, Eunjung-ah, I couldn't see anything."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What even are you doing up this early, anyway?" Eunjung asked Chaerin suspiciously, glancing at the clock on the wall behind her. "Do you know what time it is?"br Chaerin nodded impatiently. "It's like quarter past five, I know already, Subin unnie already chewed me out for being up so early, so you don't have to say anything."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That still doesn't explain why you're up so early, Chaerin. It doesn't explain why you're carrying half of the clothes that you own around in your arms, either, sorry."br Chaerin let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes at the leader. "I'm trying to figure out what I should wear at the interview later, isn't it obvious? Why are you up, anyway?"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung shrugged. "Couldn't sleep any longer. Gayoon complained that I was annoying her with my tossing and turning so she basically threw me out of our room and now I have tea. Want a cup?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Only if it's English breakfast tea, I'm not in the mood for anything that tastes like grass."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung threw her a judgemental glare. "Green tea does not taste like grass, Kwon Chaerin. I fail to see how you can be living in an Asian country and dislike tea."br The vocalist refused to acknowledge the statement and instead threw herself into the sofa so that she could pick through the veritable mountain of fabrics she had bought with her. By the time the tea had been brewed and set onto the coffee table, Chaerin had chosen some dark skinny jeans and a smart shirt. The stylists would do their hair and make- up later, so she didn't need to worry about any of that and instead tucked her short dirty blonde hair behind her ears. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'll put these back in the wardrobe later, when Subin unnie is up, otherwise she might seriously tear my head off," Chaerin informed Eunjung as she settled back into the sofa with her cup of tea. "Why couldn't you sleep then, Jungie? Stressed?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""A little," the leader answered after a thoughtful sip of her drink. "I'm always worried when we appear on these things - what if Seohyeon forgets her manners and formal talk like she always does in the dorm? What if I forget how to speak Korean?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The American snorted into her cup unattractively. "Like you can forget how to speak a language just like that."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey, it happened on our Music Bank interview once, remember?" the Brit reminded her sadly. "Anyway, any manner of things could go wrong. I just get a little worked up at the idea of us giving off the wrong type of image, that's all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin didn't quite know how to respond to that one, so she stayed silent instead, sipping at her tea quietly. The hour passed in silence and the other members gradually began to file out of their bedrooms and into the lounge, complaining about the early start (as if they didn't have to get up this early every day of the week anyway) and asking who was going to be making breakfast. By the time they were all fed, watered, dressed and in the car on the way to where the interview was being filmed, it was already half past seven. The stylists could work their magic in record time, so Polaris took the chance to relax before they had to be energetic and friendly for the cameras. Each member either listened to music, scrolled through social networking sites (Jimin, as usual, took a photograph of herself, somehow convincing a make- up-less Eunjung to pose with her for Instagram) or took a nap (this was mainly Seohyeon, who always seemed to be tired lately).p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"They had an hour to be 'prettied up' as their manager Daeseun put it and then, before they knew it, they had been shuffled onto the set and into their stools in front of the crew and the cameras. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm going to be asking about your upcoming comeback, your debut experiences and a little about yourselves, so there's no need to worry," the interviewer told the six girls as a make- up lady quickly powdered his face. "Nothing too invasive - that's for later down the line when you're a bit more well- known."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ready in three, two, one!" the producer called from the sidelines and Polaris fixed polite smiles onto their faces as they settled into their seats for the questions. Chaerin was glad that her hair wasn't long as she watched Jimin attempt to untangle a strand of her hair from her clip- on microphone while the interviewer introduced the show to the audience.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Today, we're with the mighty SM Entertainment's latest group - Polaris! Want to introduce yourself, girls?" he prompted and Chaerin heard Eunjung take a deep breath before beginning their introduction, followed by each of them stating their names and position in the group.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"All in all, Chaerin felt that the interview went very well, and it was past lunchtime by the time they arrived back at the dorm. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well done, girls," Daeseun praised them as they shut the front door behind them. "Your schedules are cleared for the rest of the day, so please don't order junk food to eat - please eat something healthy," he begged. "That rubbish that you usually live off is no good for you."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yes, dad," Chaerin teased, already retrieving her laptop from the lounge. "We'll get umma Subin to cook us something delicious," she added, ignoring the indignant huff from the idol in question. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"When their manager left the door, she decided to search up what the fans were saying about them - they had been told to not pay attention to what was said during their debut, but now Chaerin was curious, what with the interview being aired the following week. She scrolled through what felt like thousands of positive messages before she found a thread dedicated solely to her.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Don't click on that," Eunjung warned her - apparently, she had been peeking over the blonde's shoulder to see what she was looking at. "It's been flagged. It's a hate thread, and nobody needs to read what the anti fans have been saying about us."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin snorted. "Do you really think I'm the type to take this stuff to heart?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"But Eunjung was not to be swayed. "I'm serious, Chaerin-ah. You know Cho from that group 'Acid Teochii'?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin frowned. "The group that Jimin's boyfriend is in?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""The very same. Cho read a bunch of hate and Myung told me that she was really upset about it. Like, really upset. I don't want to see anybody in this group looking up netizen buzz, okay? I don't want anyone to get upset by what some horrible little cowards say about us."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin shrugged, watching as the Brit walked into the kitchen to help Subin cook, and then clicked on the link anyway. Immediately, posts about how 'fake' she was popped up. She read through twenty before she decided that she had had enough, closing her laptop down and taking her phone to her room. Jimin glanced up, distracted from her text conversation when she heard the door slam shut. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Eunjung-ah!" she called into the kitchen. "Chaerin is in a bad mood!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shut up, Jimin," Chaerin muttered as she sat on her bed, dialling a number into her keypad. The connection tone beeped once, twice, three times before the call was answered.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hello?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ally! Hi! How's New York treating you now that I'm not in it? It's boring, right? Bet you wish I was still there," Chaerin began jokingly, but her best friend interrupted her.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Wait, what's wrong? You don't sound right. I can tell when you aren't happy, Chaerin. Tell me what it is," Ally demanded. "Is it your members? Are they bullying you?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What, those five?" the vocalist snorted. "They wouldn't dare. They're actually pretty nice."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""If they're nice, then what exactly is wrong?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The blonde sighed slightly. "Ugh, nothing. Just seen some hate threads about me. Apparently I'm 'fake', can you believe it? I don't know where they got that from, seeing as how I'm exactly the same in front of the cameras as I am behind them," she complained. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I told you to not let that get to you," her friend reminded her immediately. "There's always going to be people who are going to say that kind of stuff, just to bring you down. You can't get upset over some cowards."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin smiled slightly; already, she felt better after ranting to Ally. "You sound exactly like Eunjung, you know. She said the same thing."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Who's Eunjung? Remind me,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""The leader! The British one. You know, red hair? Other lead vocalist?" the American reminded her friend.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, yeah. Look, listen to your leader, you idiot. Stop being a rebel, because it's not rebelling for a good reason. Stop reading your hate threads or I'll have to come over to Korea and kick your ass so hard you end up in China, okay? I want you to promise me, hang up and then walk to wherever this Eunjung is and promise her the exact same thing, you freak. I don't hear you saying anything! Speak!" Ally lectured sternly.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, okay!" Chaerin laughed. "I promise I won't. What's more, I'll annoy the heck out of the others if I see them doing it, too. I'm hanging up, okay? Get on skype later so I can talk to you properly,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Will do, Rin," Ally replied softly. "Go say it to the leader girl! Talk to you soon." p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The line went dead and Chaerin smiled as she locked her phone. Trust talking to her best friend to cheer her up. She was determined to not let the posts get to her - besides, the only way to prove that she wasn't fake like they had said was to just carry on being herself, which was what she intended to do the entire time that she was in Polaris.p 


	11. 10 Excuses EUNJUNG

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"December 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung was beginning to feel those nerves again, the type that she had almost drowned in when Polaris had debuted back in July. The comeback was getting closer every single day and even though every member of Polaris had been preparing so much that they felt as though they could dance and sing their new songs in their sleep (Chaerin had even gone so far as to have joked that she could dance it after death), Eunjung was worried. Usually, she was pretty relaxed and had been reliably told many times that she was the dork of the group, but she was the leader of the group, and it showed at times like this.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It was with a heavy heart that she clambered out of the car and into the SM Entertainment building, ready for another day of slaving in the vocals rooms and the practice room. Yet again, Jimin had decided not to come with them for undisclosed reasons, so it was only Eunjung, Seohyeon, Chaerin, Subin and Gayoon who settled on the black sofa that morning, ready to go over their vocals once more.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Seriously, what is going on with Jimin-ah?" Seohyeon asked, her face betraying no emotion and her words flat. They always joked about what a weird maknae she was, but the dancer paid them no notice. "She barely turns up to our schedules these days. She's going to end up messing up on stage if she keeps this up."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yes, Seo, we know," Subin snapped, obvsiouly feeling the strain. Although the wasn't the leader, she was the oldest member out of the six of them, and she was often called 'umma Subin'. "Nothing any of us say is getting through to her, so you complaining about her to us isn't really going to do anything, is it?!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, Subin, time to start drinking coffee when you wake up on a morning again," Chaerin muttered so that only Eunjung could hear her. "Your caffeine withdrawal symptoms are really starting to wind everyone up."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Stiffling a laugh from Chaerin's comment, Eunjung synced her phone up to the speakers and scrolled through to find the MR for their title track, which needed to be practiced the most. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shall we get breakfast first, or just start?" Gayoon wondered aloud. "Skipping breakfast is bad for you."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Breakfast is our prize for getting through the song three times without screwing up," Eunjung decided, raising her eyebrows at Chaerin and Seohyeon, daring them to contradict her. "Maknae, write down what everyone wants. We can decide who gets to eat afterwards,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Why do I always have to write down the orders?" the dancer complained with a whine as she reached out for the paper and pen on the table with the stereo. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Your handwriting is the neatest, so manager-nim can read it properly," Chaerin began. "Also, you're the maknae. Pull your weight. You know what we always want anyway, so just jump to it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yah, Kwon Chaerin, you're the second youngest," Seohyeon breathed with a deadly glare in the direction of the lead vocalist. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Can we please just start?" Subin grumbled as she took her place. "I want my coffee."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung rolled her eyes as she started the music.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"br That morning was a good one, Eunjung decided as the third run-through of their title track finished. It was the first time in weeks that they had all aced their parts. She was made to call for the order because Daeseun, their manager, was nowhere to be seen (he was probably in meetings as Gayoon as said). When she had asked why it had to be her, the other four had ganged up against her and told her firmly that it was her job as the leader to carry out the dirty work that nobody else wanted to do./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It was only after the food (and Subin's precious coffee) had been delivered that Jimin decided to show up, and it was around nine in the morning by then. She walked in with the grace and attitude of a snobby monarch and immediately narrowed her eyes at the sight of her members eating breakfast in front of her.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Where's mine?" she asked. Chaerin nearly choked on her food and Gayoon was forced to thump the vocalist on the back until she stopped coughing.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You can't actually be serious?" she croaked, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You never showed up! This is our reward for getting through the title track three times without doing anything wrong and you weren't here to join in, so I don't see why you should get any breakfast!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I had other things to attend to, but I'm here now, aren't I?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Chaerin snorted unattractively. "Well, don't think that any of us are going to share with you. Maybe if you'd have gotten up and forced your lazy behind to practice on time like the rest of us, I would've."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The visual flicked her hair off her shoulder and glared coldly at the American in front of her. "Just come out with it, Rin. What are you trying to say?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Guys-" Eunjung cut in warningly, but was cut off almost immediately by her ex-roommate.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, I'm so glad you asked," she began scathingly. "You never turn up to practice, and then have the balls to stand there and criticise us for doing what you should be doing too? Um, no, I don't think so. If you insist upon acting like a stupid child, I'll treat you like one, I have no problem with that."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, so you're saying I'm lazy now, right? How about you-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh for God's sakes, stop this emright nowem!" Eunjung yelled in frustration, handing her food to Subin and standing up. "You two need to stop jumping down each other's throats, it's ruining everyone's day," She turned to glare at Chaerin first. "You - you stop bitching at Jimin-ah now. Carry on eating, go out of the room, I don't care. Just shut up. Stop it. And emyou/em," she turned instead to point at Jimin, who looked pleased that Chaerin had been told off first. Well, Eunjung was determined to wipe that smile right off her face. "You need to actually bother to turn up to be able to criticise us. If you're really that obsessed with not getting any food, go and order some yourself, because we're busy eating right now. And while you're at it, try to get rid of this fucking attitude, because it's really pissing me off." And with that, she turned back to grab her food from the rapper and immediately began eating again. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin simply stared at them all for a moment or two before she huffed, took some money from her purse, dumped her bag in the corner of the room and launched herself out of the room to get something to eat for herself. Seohyeon was staring at the Brit with her mouth hanging open while everyone else sat in silence.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What?" Eunjung finally asked. "I've had enough of everybody arguing, and I've definitely had enough of Jimin being a bitch and acting as though we all owe her for being in our group. I'm sorry, but we're meant to be a team, and we can't do this if there's someone who won't co operate when everybody else it trying their absolute hardest."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't think I've ever seen you get so angry, and I've known you the longest out of all of us," Chaerin commented, picking her spoon back up again. "It was kind of like watching a train wreck."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What, terrifying but scarily meserising?" Seohyeon asked sarcastically.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yeah, kind of," Gayoon agreed. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Shut up," Eunjung spoke into her food, face growing red. "Everybody is allowed to lose their temper sometimes, even me. Especially me, having to put up with you freaks," she joked halfheartedly.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin chose that moment to walk into the room, laden down with drinks and snacks. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Eunjung, can I talk to you in private please?" she requested curtly. The leader shared a surprised look with Subin and together, she and the visual exited the room.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What is it?" Eunjung asked, folding her arms over her chest. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I want to apologise for not turning up on time lately," Jimin began. Her voice had changed, become lower and more sincere. It didn't carry the usual snobby tone that it usually did, and Eunjung was surprised. "It's just that I have a lot of things going on lately and it's hard juggling everything. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You mean it's hard juggling us and your boyfriend," Eunjung corrected harshly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""No, it's not that sort of thing," Jimin quickly shook her head. "Did you hear about what happened with Acid Teochii, Jungie? Hanni told me that you speak to Myung sometimes, so I guess maybe you have... Well, Hyo has left the group and I don't know, they all try to make it seem like they're not finding it hard, but I can tell that they are."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""No offence or anything, because you know how much I like Acid, but what exactly does this have to do with Polaris?" Eunjung inquired. "Because them having to dance and sing and do everything without one of their members is basically what we're having to do right now because you're never around. I mean, if it was only when we're enjoying our free time that you went out, it'd be different, I could understand that. But now you're cutting into our preparation time, Jimin. You do realise that our comeback is literally in, like, three weeks, right?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I know that, Eunjung, believe me. I do." She sighed and covered her face with her hands. "I guess what I'm trying to say is this: someone that I'm very close to is going through some shit right now and I'm trying to be there for him, but I'm going through my own shit, too, and that doesn't even even count comeback stuff."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You need to be straight with me," Eunjung demanded. "Tell me now: what is it that is going on with you that makes it so hard for you to be around us? Are you having problems with one of the girls? Is it Chaerin? Because I can talk to her-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""NO!" Jimin interrupted. "No, I'm not being bullied or anything, Eunjung! No! It's stuff going on with my... With my family, I guess. I'm just so damn stressed right now, Jungie, I'm finding it really hard."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The leader softened slightly at her words. "Okay, well, you don't have to tell me what your family stuff is if you don't want to, and believe me, I understand completely what you mean with the whole stress thing. But you really do need to step up and do what you're meant to be doing, Minnie, because it's not just you who is finding this tough, you know? Your absence means that the rest of us have to word twice as hard. Can you understand that?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""... I can."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well then, let's go back in and get started and put this behind us. Just... I want you to know that if you ever need to talk to someone about those issues you're having, you should know that you can come to me with whatever, right? I won't judge or anything, or tell anybody." Eunjung told her seriously. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin showed her a weak smile. "Thanks, Jungie. I'll bear that in mind," was all she said before she opened the door and the two re-entered the vocals room. "Let's just get today over and done with and I'll buy dinner tonight to make up for being late. Maybe I'll get some cake by way of apologising to Chaerin." Her voice got slightly louder to make sure that the others could hear her, and apparently they could, because her statement was met with a set of cheers.p 


	12. 11 Farther Away SEOHYEON

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"December 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"br There was one thing that Seohyeon was looking forward to, and it wasn't their comeback. It was Christmas. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Christmas 2014 would be the first one that the members would be spending together, seeing as they couldn't go home because of their comeback date being so close; she had to admit, she had been slightly disappointed when Daeseun had told them that Sigma wouldn't be returning to Korea at all until the middle of January, since she had been looking forward to spending some time with the other six girls, but so much would be going on that she figured that to be honest, seeing them would only make her more stressed, as she would be trying to make time for them where there was none.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The members had already agreed between them that they wouldn't be buying any presents for each other seeing as they were so busy, but Seohyeon didn't like the idea at all. Sure, in principle, it was a very sensible plan, but she wanted to buy something to show how thankful she was for her unnies, despite the fact that she always seemed so stoic and emotionless. The trouble was trying to think of what she could buy each of them because what might be appreciated by one member would probably be hated by another. Another worry was where she would hide what she bought - sharing a room with neat freak number two Lee Jimin (number one was Subin, of course) was hell on earth when you had to stash away surprise presents.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Finding the time to go shopping was proving to be a difficult if not impossible task, as Eunjung had predicted, and the maknae was getting extremely frustrated as she once again went over a step in the practice room, exactly one week before Christmas day. The tutor sighed and clicked her fingers, pointing to a spot on the floor about two feet away from where Seohyeon was currently standing.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""This is where you need to end up, Seohyeon, not where you are now. How are you not getting this right? You're usually the first to pick choreography up, but this time you're getting everything wrong. Do you need me to fetch Kai?" she asked, concerned. "You always learn best when he's the one teaching you."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm fine, songsaengnim, you don't need to call over Jongin sunbae," Seohyeon assured her, remembering to use her manners (the months of Subin and Eunjung yelling at her to speak formally were finally beginning to work, it seemed). "I'm just distracted, that's all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Distracted by what?" the tutor asked, passing the idol a bottle of water. "You're not fighting with your group, are you?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh no, nothing like that. It's Christmas soon and I want to get them some presents but I have no idea what to get them and practicing for the comeback has leached the life out of me," she explained as she took a seat on the floor. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, I see. Well, you need to learn this step today, so distracted or not, you need to stay in here. Sorry," the tutor explained as she walked to the door.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Wait, where are you going?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Fetching Kai, of course!" she trilled before leaving Seohyeon on her own.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I told you I don't need him!" she yelled anyway, sighing as she sipped at her water, utterly exhausted. Five minutes later, the dance teacher turned up with EXO's best dancer trailing behind her, looking confused.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Kai-ah, I need you to teach Seohyeon her newly choreographed solo dance," she explained to him. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh! So that's what it is! I thought you were kidnapping me, noona," he teased with a grin. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Just to help your hoobae," the teacher responded, laughing. "Here, I'll teach you the steps and then you can show Seohyeonnie."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Songsaengnim, I told you not to bother Jongin," Seohyeon insisted. "I'm just having an off day, I can learn it fine with you!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The teacher glanced between the two dancers. "Are you two fighting?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't talk to him nearly enough to argue with him," Seohyeon muttered, folding her arms across her chest. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, what are you talking about, SeoSeo?" he teased, finally turning to look at her. "You're my favourite dongsaeng of them all! We get on really well," he added to the tutor. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, let's at least teach you this solo and then you and your favourite dongsaeng can have some alone time to dance." The dance teacher and Kai even had the nerve to laugh as Seohyeon huffed from her place on the cold floor and turned away.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Twenty minutes later, the maknae was left alone with Kai. He pulled her up by her arms and shoved her into position.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What's all this about you not picking up the steps?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, suddenly all business now that the teacher had left. "That's not the Seohyeon I know."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm distracted, that's all," she explained. "And tired. Jesus, the last month has killed me! You never told me the first comeback was this hard!" she added accusingly, poking him in the shoulder. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, our first comeback was a year after debut, whereas yours is only after five months, so I can imagine that your workload is a tiny bit more crazy than ours was, even though you're releasing a mini album and ours was an album," he reasoned. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I guess," she agreed reluctantly. "But enough about my workload. Are you going to help me learn this stupid solo dance or not?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Kai grinned at her and leaned his back against the mirror. "Just show me what you can do so far and we'll go from there, okay?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"She waited a few seconds before sighing. "No music?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I thought it was on Minah songsaengnim's phone," he informed her. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I still need some music, Kim Kai!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Aw, are you asking me to sing for you, Seohyeon? Oh, you're just like one of the fans, aw, you're precious," he mocked, reaching over to pat her head; she shook him off angrily.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't think you can sing as well as my unnies can, but by all means, be my guest. Going deaf is just what I could do with right now," she shot back, walking to the back of the room and reaching into her coat pocket for her phone. "You're an idiot. I have the music on here, just play it, or is that too hard for you?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm pretending that I didn't just hear you say that," he warned her with a slight smile before gesturing impatiently. "Now get into position already, Jesus."br Seohyeon chuckled at how easily her insults were ignored and did as he said. She managed to get roughly a third of the new steps right before messing up and, Kai being Kai, noticed her mistake immediately./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, so you can almost do it," he praised her (although, Seohyeon mused, it really was a backhanded compliment). "And then you get your foot placement wrong, which ruins everything else. Here, watch this a second," he requested and showed her what she should have been doing. The maknae took mental notes and nodded at random intervals. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Got it?" he asked when he had finished, raising his eyebrows. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Together?" she asked, rewinding the song to the verse before her dance solo and letting it play, dropping her phone on the floor near the bottom of the mirror.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Together, the dancers performed, watching their reflections carefully from across the room. Seohyeon copied what Jongin had done at the part that she had been struggling with and finally managed to complete the sequence in the right place. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh my God, I'm so relieved," she panted as she fell to lie on her back on the floor. "Ah, you're the best, Kim Kai, thank you so much."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Why is it that you only like me when I can teach you a move?" he questioned as he paused the music. "It's like you're actually daring to question my abilities."br Seohyeon scoffed, studying the ceiling tiles. "I'm not saying that you can't dance, Jongin-ah, if that's what you're saying,"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, that's good, because you're my legacy," he informed her, prodding her calf with his shoe. "I need to make sure that you don't do badly because then it will reflect on me and everyone will think I'm a bad teacher."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Seohyeon let out a short laugh. "That's so nice of you, Kai, wow!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Plus," he added seriously. "I think Kyungsoo hyung would murder me if I didn't help his best friend's maknae,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Aish," Seohyeon muttered as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "Chaerin was talking the other day about how weird she finds it that we still go to you guys for help after the whole 'mentoring' thing finished. I think she's just jealous that she can't go running to Suho all the time because he's too busy."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""She could ask Baekhyun," Kai pointed out while she laughed. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are you joking? She can't stand Baekhyunnie! I think they're too similar and that's why they don't get along."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Probably," he conceded. "Come on, anyway, let's go through it again a few more times and then you can go home and I can get back to EXO."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Seohyeon visibly brightened at the offer and stood up immediately. "What, I can go home early? You'll tell songsaengnim?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Sure, I don't see why not," Kai agreed with a shrug. "She said you were distracted about something, so I feel like I should give you the opportunity to sort out whatever the issue is."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's not so much an issue... I need to go and buy Christmas presents for my unnies and I haven't had the time to do it until now."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""So let's finish up here and you can go to Shinsa-dong or wherever it was that you were planning to go and buy stuff, then. Come on, one more run through."p 


	13. 12 Judgement GAYOON

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"24th / 25th December 2014/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon hadn't realised how close Christmas was until the night before; in all truthfulness, she had completely forgotten about the holiday, as focused as they had all been on getting everything sorted for their comeback. It had suddenly dawned on her as the six girls spent the afternoon lounging in the sitting room, watching some random k-drama on TV and she had jumped up as though she had been electrocuted, panicking as she realised that she still hadn't wrapped up the presents that she had sneakily bought for the other members.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You okay, Gayoon-ah?" Eunjung asked lazily, stealing a handful of popcorn from the bowl that Seohyeon was monopolizing; the maknae glared at the leader, who simply smiled sweetly in response. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm fine!" the vocalist squeaked, attempting to school her face into a relaxed grin. "I just remembered something. I'll be right back."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Remembered what?!" Chaerin called after her as she hurried off towards the bedroom that she shared with Eunjung. "Yah! Remembered what?!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Just leaver her be," Subin told the younger girl. "You know what she's been like lately - she'd forget her head if it wasn't already attached to her body. She's probably just misplaced her lyrics or something. Don't worry about it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are you two planning something together, hmm?" Jimin asked, suspicious. Ever since the argument that had broken out in the practice room between her, Eunjung and Charein, she had been spending more and more time with the group, and everything had gone back to how it had been before. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What? No, I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Minnie."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are you sure?" she pressed. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We've already said that Christmas is going to be no big deal for us this year because of the comeback," Eunjung reminded them all. "There's no way that they would plan everything because we all know that it would make the rest of feel bad because we haven't had the time to plan anything."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Seohyeon raised an eyebrow at Eunjung. "Like anybody in this dorm listens to you when you say stuff like that, unnie. You know at least one person has bought presents,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, I'm telling you all now!" Eunjung shouted playfully, raising one arm into the air, still clutching some popcorn in her fist. "If you've bought christmas presents, you'd better not give them out because then we'll all feel guilty!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"There was a chorus of laughs and Chaerin shook her head at her friend.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Meanwhile, in her room, Gayoon was hurriedly searching for the christmas bags that she had hidden in her wardrobe. Luckily, Eunjung wasn't one of the neat 'everything-has-to-be-tidy' members of Polaris, so there wasn't really much chance of her going snooping through Gayoon's things in an attempt to give them all a span style="line-height: 1.6;"proper home of their own. span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Once the five presents had been all wrapped up and were sitting in a row on her bed, the vocalist ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Now where am I going to hide these?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Gayoon-ah?" Eunjung's voice sounded, accompanied by a knock on the closed door. "Are you okay? You've been in there for a while,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon started, feeling guilty that she had made her members worried about her, and quickly shoved the gifts under her bed, pulling her blankets and duvet lower over the side so that the shiny paper wouldn't be seen. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm good, Jungie," she called back, walking over to the door and opening it; the leader peeked into the room, eyes narrowed. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What were you doing?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, nothing. Just had to wish my family a happy early Christmas!" she lied, hoping that her made-up excuse would be believed. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung scrutinised her for a moment before accepting it. "Eh, okay. Whatever you say, Yoonie. I was just coming to ask you what you wanted to get for dinner because Chaerin is insisting that she's craving soondubu jiggae, but we all want pizza, so you need to have some input otherwise Rin is going to bully us into getting what she wants and I swear to God, if I have to eat tofu one more time this week, I'll throw somebody through a window!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Okay, I'm coming in now," Gayoon told her, shutting the door and following the leader into the sitting room. "Guys, I'm feeling pizza!" she called to the others; Chaerin's groan was even louder than the cheers from Jimin, Seohyeon and Subin.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*br "EVERYONE UP! CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS! EVERYONE UP AND IN THE LOUNGE IN TEN OR I'M POURING WATER ON YOU ALL!"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Gayoon groaned and attempted to bury her head underneath her pillow in an attempt to drown out Chaerin's hollering. Why the American felt that it was necessary to wake them all up in such a manner, she would never know. Christmas just wasn't as big a thing in Korea as it was in America or England, as she had been finding out over the last few days from the two lead vocalists, who seemed determined to make the day a good one. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Chaerin..." Eunjung moaned as the talkative member hammered on their bedroom door. "Shut the fuck up."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""IT'S SIX, COME ON GUYS, I'VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" came Jimin's annoyed voice from down the hall. "I am going to strangle you with your own intestines, Kwon Chaerin!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung threw something that hit the door with a heavy 'thunk' across the room. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That had better not be my favourite book," Gayoon warned, moving her pillow from her face and squinting through the dark at her room-mate. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I think it was my alarm clock," the leader muttered. "Aish! I'd better get up and shut up Rin otherwise I think Subin and Jimin are going to murder her," she added, clambering out of bed and shuffling across the room to put on her dressing gown and locate her slippers. "Want some tea?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Green tea would be lovely," Gayoon replied with a sigh, turning onto her back and pulling her hair away from her face. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""'kay. See you in a bit." With that, Eunjung quietly slipped out of the room. There was a muffled 'thump' and Chaerin protested loudly, which led Gayoon to believe that the Brit had smacked the American around the back of the head, an action which she had picked up from Subin. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Now that she was up, the vocalist was finding it hard to fall back to sleep, so with a sigh, she crawled out of bed and felt around blindly for the light switch on the wall near the door, hands fluttering across the wallpaper like spiders. Once she could actually see, she pulled on some thick fluffy socks and a cardigan (turned out that Eunjung had picked up Gayoon's dressing gown and the leader's was missing, which meant that it had probably been stolen by Chaerin or Seohyeon).p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"When she entered the lounge, the first thing she noticed was Chaerin curled up across the sofa, apparently taking a nap. Gayoon scoffed and walked past her, rubbing her eyes, which felt as though they had had grit thrown into them. Eunjung was already in the kitchen, pulling all sorts of things out of the fridge while the kettle boiled. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Don't tell me you're getting things ready to cook already," Seohyeon called from the doorway; the room-mates jumped, neither of them having noticed her enter the room. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Jesus, maknae, don't creep up on people like that," Eunjung complained loudly. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Why are you speaking so loudly?" Seohyeon asked, ignoring the scolding completely. "I thought that was Chaerin's job,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""She woke us all up at six in the morning and then fell asleep on the sofa," Eunjung explained with a wicked grin. "Time we repay the favour, right?" p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You're evil and I don't think I noticed before just now," Gayoon muttered as she readied the cups for everyone - three cups of coffee for Subin, Jimin and Chaerin, a cup of English breakfast tea for Eunjung and two green teas for herself and Seohyeon. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And in response to your earlier question," Eunjung began, pulling a cutting knife from the cutlery drawer. "Yes, I'm getting some stuff ready for dinner. I'm sorry, but I feel the overwhelming need to force some English food onto all of you, so I'm roasting up a chicken and doing some roast potatoes and veggies with gravy."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That sounds disgusting," Seohyeon informed her while Gayoon frowned. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I thought turkey was what you were meant to eat on Christmas day?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We don't have any turkey, okay? So chicken will have to do!" Eunjung responded cheerfully, cutting into the broccoli. "And can someone go and wake up the others? Seohyeon, why didn't you bring Jimin with you?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""She insisted on sending me out first. She's acting pretty shady, if you ask me."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Eunjung sighed. "Then do your job as maknae and deliver the drinks to everyone,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"This immediately caused her to sulk, folding her arms across her chest and pouting. "Why do you always make me do everything?!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Wear the young ones out first," Gayoon answered before Eunjung could say anything, causing the younger member to burst into laughter. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, I knew I liked you for a reason, Yoon-ah!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It was three hours later that the food was all ready, Chaerin had been woken up and the table set (Seohyeon had pushed this job onto Subin, despite being told to do it herself). The six girls settled down in their places and looked over all the food. The kamjatang, a hearty potato stew with ox ribs and a fiery red sauce, was in pride of place and Subin doled out bowls full of it.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Eunjung, please explain to me exactly what that is on yours and Chaerin's plates," Jimin asked politely, taking a sip of her drink while the others looked up in interest.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's traditional," Eunjung began firmly. "Roast chicken, some steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes and meat gravy. This is what we eat on Christmas day at my home in Oxford,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And I eat something similar, so I just joined in!" Chaerin put in, still in her sky-high mood, despite being hit by Eunjung earlier in the day and woken up from her nap by Jimin dumping some clothes on her face by way of telling her to get dressed for the day.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It still seems gross, sorry." The maknae didn't sound very apologetic despite her words.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That's okay, Seohyeon-ah," Eunjung replied in a dangerously sticky sweet tone. "When I first came to Korea, I thought that the food was gross. You'll get used to English food eventually. I'll make sure of it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That sounds scarily ominous," Subin pointed out around a mouthful of potato. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"When they had all finished eating and the table had been cleared, Eunjung cleared her throat and stood up suddenly from her place on the sofa between Seohyeon and Chaerin, who both stared at her curiously.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I actually have an announcement to make," she started nervously, wringing her hands. "I know that we all agreed that we wouldn't make too big a deal about today, but... I'm a bad person and I went out and bought you all presents."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""YAH!" Chaerin burst out, pointing at the leader wildly. "You told us just last night that if any of us had bought gifts that we couldn't give them out in front of the others because it would make them feel bad!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I know! I'm sorry!" the older girl apologised, looking incredibly guilty. "I just really wanted to show you all how happy I am that we're all doing so well!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Actually, I have a confession to make, too," Subin stood aswell and bowed her head. "I, too, snuck out after practice a few weeks ago and got everyone gifts,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I did aswell," Gayoon admitted quietly.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, that makes four of us," Seohyeon added matter of factly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I've been hiding mine in the EXO dorm while they've been at their concerts," Jimin put in with a smile.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Leeteuk sunbae took mine for me a few days ago, actually." Chaerin finished, and they all looked at each other in confusion for a moment.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Is this... Is this the first time that we've all been in sync with one another?" Eunjung questioned, more than slightly shocked.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I think it is!" Jimin confirmed brightly. "Let's go get them and meet back here in twenty minutes so we can open them!"p 


	14. 131 Reflection JIMIN

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"1st January 2015/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"br The morning of the 1st of January 2015 was filled with lots of rushing around and stress for Polaris; unlike with their debut, the music video would be released the same day as their first comeback stage, which was due to be on M! Countdown. The six girls were running around trying to find clothes to wear as well as attempting to search for some food that was easy to eat and could be carried to the car./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hurry up, girls!" their main manager, Daeseun, called through the front door of the dorm impatiently. "We're going to be late to the recording if you don't get a move on!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Coming, manager-nim!" Eunjung shouted as she pulled on some shoes quickly, picking up her tea which had been made my the ever-prepared Subin, who had woken up earlier than usual in order to at least get them all drinks. She had even had the clever thought to use the type of cups that you got at a coffee shop when you ordered a take-away drink so that they could drink in the car on the way to the studio without burning themselves.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We all ready? Come on, let's go," Eunjung nudged Jimin, who grabbed her own coffee from her bedside table and the six of them filed out of the dorm one by one and clambered into the car.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are you guys nervous about your comeback?" Daeseun asked kindly from the drivers seat. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Isn't that kind of a stupid question?" Seohyeon remarked in a flat voice. "Of course we are."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's always nice to go and perform on your birthday," Jimin added, sipping at her coffee. "I mean, what else would I rather be doing? Couldn't imagine myself wanting to lounge around with my friends on my twentieth, or even shopping!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Nice sarcasm," Chaerin muttered as she scrolled through her phone, earphones already plugged in for the journey. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Here, let's take a photo for Instagram," Gayoon offered brightly. "Ask the fans to wish us luck."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Jimin shrugged and turned her camera on; she was sitting near the front, so if she angled her phone just right, she would be able to get everybody in frame. "Smile, god," she called to the members at the back who didn't seem to realise that they were being photographed; once everybody looked a least a little presentable, Jimin took the photo and posted it to Instagram, captioning it: 'emGuess who's birthday it is?! It's our first comeback stage for 'DREAM', so please support us and sent us emspan style="line-height: 1.6;"emyour love!/em'/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="line-height: 1.6;""I think you're addicted to that app, Jimin-ah," Subin told the younger member, sounding more like the mother of the group than she ever had before. "You go on it way too much."span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Key oppa does too, so you can't tell me off unless you're prepared to say the same to him," Jimin responded absently, liking the singer in question's latest post as she scrolled. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin snorted and took another sip of her coffee. "Yah, do you think I have a death wish? He'd kill me for sure if I said that to him, Jiminnie. The only reason he tolerates Onew sunbae saying it is because Jinki is such a kind person,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, there we go, then." Jimin finished, not really paying any attention to the conversation that they were having as she spotted a video that Hanni of Acid Teochii had posted up the hour before. She clicked 'play' and saw the members cheering and clapping while some attempted to sing 'happy birthday' for her. The caption read: 'emHappy birthday, Jimin from POLARIS! Have a good comeback stage! POLARIS FIGHTING~!em' She grinned stupidly to herself as she posted a comment thanking them for their well wishes and assuring them that the group would do well. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Girls, we're nearly at the studio, get ready. Remember, there will be more cameras this time because you're more popular now than you were in July, so be careful," Daeseun warned as he pulled the car towards where they were due to film their stage. When they parked, the six members of Polaris attempted to exit the vehicle gracefully (Eunjung had a terrible habit of falling out of the car because she always forgot that there was a step) and almost immediately, the fans began calling their names and shoving cameras in their faces. Daeseun shoved them through the crowd and into the protection of the building's lobby and they all let out a breath.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That was intense!" Chaerin exclaimed, adjusting her coat and brushing her hair out of her face. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, it was certainly something, anyway," Eunjung corrected. "Now let's just get to recording so that we can go home and celebrate Jimin-ah's birthday properly!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I was thinking of maybe inviting Acid Teochii over to the dorm later if that's okay, or maybe going over there for a while?" Jimin told the others as they moved towards the backstage area, ready to change into their stage outfits and get their hair and make-up done. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You just want another excuse to spend some more time with your boyfriend," Chaerin teased lightly from behind the visual; she had been poking fun at the older girl ever since she had told the rest of the group that her boyrfriend was indeed Hanni. "You can't lie to us, we know you too well."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I just like them a lot, that's all. I don't want a party or anything, just a chance to see my friends for a while."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We could get EXO over, maybe. SHINee, if they have time," Gayoon suggested, holding a door open for her leader as they powered through the corridors. "Just to have a chat and some food, nothing huge,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That sounds like a nice idea," Jimin admitted. "I think I'd like that a lot."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"However, Eunjung had already thought of something wrong with the idea. "Will we even all fit in our dorm?" she asked. "I mean, there's six of us, ten each in AT and EXO, and the five SHINee sunbaes. That's thirty-one people in a dorm that's only meant to house six,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""They don't have to all come over at the same time, Eunjung," Chaerin said condescendingly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You want to invite our friends and sunbaes over in emshiftsem?" Eunjung fired back without any real heat as they finally entered their dressing room. "Wow."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""They're probably not all free at the same time, anyway," Seohyeon put in. "If you're being realistic," she added sneakily. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Regardless," Jimin butted in, waving her hand around as though getting rid of a particularly persistent fly. "Can we have a few friends over? I'd like to see them - we haven't hung out with the Acid Teochii members for ages now,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, we haven't even met them yet," Seohyeon pointed out. "And you're always over at their dorm. Even Eunjung knows the leader. I guess it's time you introduced us."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's decided, then," said Subin, "Jimin's boyfriend's group will be invited over, and we can ask the EXO sunbaes if they want to pop over, too. D.O and Chanyeol have been visiting a bunch, anyway, so I doubt it'll make much difference."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""So now it's sorted, can we please get ready for our comeback stage?" Eunjung asked, taking her outfit from the hanger in the corner of the room. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"All of the hard work that the Polaris members had been putting in seemed to be paying off - their first ever comeback stage for 'Dream' had gone exceptionally well, only needing to be performed three times, though they were all utterly exhausted afterwards. It turned out that while they had been working, Daeseun had spoken to the other managers and the higher ups and had (somehow) gotten the girls the rest of the day off so that they could celebrate Jimin's birthday properly, which he explained in the car on the journey back to the dorm. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I expect you all to be asleep at a reasonable time, of course," he reminded them sternly, speaking more at Jimin than anybody. "You have a schedule early in the morning, so even though I'm giving you the rest of the day off, I want you to remember that you have a job to do. That being said... Have fun," he added with a smile. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, Daeseun manager-nim, you're the best," Chaerin called happily from the back seat, almost deafening Eunjung, who shot a glare at the younger vocalist.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Stop sucking up," Seohyeon told her, the ghost of a smile on her face. "He won't give you time off on your birthday."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Good job there's still nearly five months until my birthday, then," Chaerin countered jokingly. "Gives you all time to buy me those amazing presents that I know you're all dying to get me for being such an awesome person."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Don't get ahead of yourself, unnie," the maknae warned with a laugh. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"When the group got back to the dorm, they could see that the sitting room light was on through the window; Eunjung frowned as they climbed out of the car and approached their front door.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Did anybody say anything about surprising Jimin?" She quietly asked Daeseun, who shook his head, confused for a moment, until realisation dawned on his face and he pointed towards the window.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, no. That'll be your new member. I was told earlier that she would be turning up at some point this week, but we didn't know when it would be exactly, so I didn't say anything in case it put you all on edge-"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""emNew memberem?!" Chaerin exclaimed from behind them suddenly, mouth hanging open in shock. "You never said anything about a emnew member/em! Why do we need one? The six of us are fine!"br /"You've misunderstood, Chaerin-ah," Daeseun explained patiently. "She's not exactly going to be an addition to Polaris; she's a member for your first sub-unit, which I'll be telling you all about very soon. Probably tomorrow, if all goes well."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You never told us about a sub-unit, manager-nim," Subin pointed out accusingly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Like I said, I'll pull you all in for a meeting about it tomorrow," he responded, unlocking the door for them. "For now, why don't you all just enjoy Jimin's birthday? Don't worry about it. If your new member is in there, please be nice," he begged.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We're always nice," Seohyeon muttered with all the pleasantness of a shark. "I don't know why you think we might not be,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, sure, with a face and tone like that!" their manager joked, ruffling the maknae's hair. "Now get inside and enjoy your day, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, probably. Happy birthday, Jimin-ah!" And with that, he got back into the car and pulled out of the parking space, leaving Polaris crowding around the open door to their dorm.p 


	15. 132 Reflection SUJI

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Did he ever tell anybody about there being a new member and a sub-unit?" Gayoon asked seriously, looking from one member to another./p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""He didn't say anything to me at all, and I'm the leader," Eunjung sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, I don't even know why she's in our dorm anyway," Jimin said, folding her arms over her chest in defiance. "It only sleeps six people, and guess what? There's already six of us here. Looks like she'll be sleeping on the couch."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We can't make her sleep on the sofa, Lee Jimin, yah," Subin reprimanded, poking the visual in the shoulder. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, Sigma are still in Japan, so their dorm is empty for another week or two until we figure out what we can do with sleeping arrangements," Eunjung said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her fingertips. "All we'd have to do is figure out who would be staying with her."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Excuse me?" Seohyeon piped up nastilly. "I don't think I understand you, leader-nim. Someone stay with emherem? We all already have our beds and our place in the group. I don't see why anybody has to stay with her."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, would you like to be on your own in the dorm? When you don't know anyone?" Eunjung asked, turning on the maknae. "I thought not," she continued after getting no answer. "So who's it going to be?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I see no reason why it shouldn't be you, Jungie," Jimin told the younger girl. "Seeing as it's your idea and you are the leader, after all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, for God's sakes! emFineem! I'll stay with her, are you happy?!" Eunjung yelled, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation. "Now let's get inside and introduce ourselves and I swear to the heavens, if you brats aren't nice, I'll ban you from eating take out for a month and you're not allowed to ask Subin to cook for you, either."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Together, they entered the sitting room and studied the girl who was sitting on their sofa, looking lonely and more than a little lost. Her long dark brown hair was all but covering her face and her luggage was sitting in a neat pile at her feet.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hi!" Eunjung greeted brightly, no trace of the argument they had had outside in her tone at all. "I'm Eunjung, Polaris' leader and lead singer!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm Chaerin, the voice of the group."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Jimin, face of Polaris." Jimin said shortly, not looking at the poor girl.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey, I'm Subin, otherwise known as 'umma Subin', the oldest member and lead rapper of the group," Subin smiled warmly.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm the maknae and lead dancer, Seohyeon,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And last but not least, I'm Gayoon, main vocals and main dance."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The mystery girl flashed them a nervous smile, stood and bowed a ninety degree bow. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Elizabeth Song, or Suji, and I am going to be the new member of your first sub-unit."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"It wasn't until much later, when Acid Teochii and a few of their SM Entertainment sunbaes were sitting in the common room that had been designed for Polaris and Sigma to hang out in (it hadn't been used since the last time Sigma had been in Korea, which had been October), that Jimin worked up the effort to talk to their new member properly. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""So, Suji," she said curtly, dropping into the empty seat to the left of the younger girl. "Do you know anything about this new sub-unit? Who will be in it, for example?"br Suji looked up in alarm - nobody but Eunjung and Subin from Polaris had spoken to her all night, although D.O and Suho from EXO had been very welcoming. Acid Teochii had seemed a little distant, and the pink-haired delicate-looking girl that had trailed in after them seemed to be in a highly emotional state. /p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't know much, really," she began politely, smiling at the birthday girl. "I don't know the name or anything, but I was told that right now, it'll be myself, Eunjung-ssi and Seohyeon-ssi and the musical style will be different to Polaris'. I won't be in the actual main group, so you guys don't have to worry about me intruding into Polaris' stuff. I'll only really be around when the sub-unit is promoting, and I guess we'll all find out when exactly that will be tomorrow."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Fair enough," Jimin shrugged, scrutinising the girl before smiling suddenly. "You know, I was pretty sceptical about you when Daeseun manager-nim dropped the news on us when we got back from our comeback stage earlier, but whatever. You seem okay. I feel like at least one of our groups has to accept their new member, anyway," she added, glancing over at Yue, the newest addition to Acid Teochii (she had also been added that day) and her boyfriend, Hanni, who seemed to be taking care of the girl along with Cho.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What do you mean?" Suji asked, curious.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, seeing as you're going to be my newest dongsaeng... You see that pink-haired girl over there? That's Yue. One of Acid Teochii's members left a few months ago and she's the new dancer. Needless to say, they aren't too happy about it. Hanyeul has decided to be friendly to her because he's a sweetheart who can't bear to see anyone left out for any reason," she added affectionately, waving at him when the rapper in question looked up and caught her eyes.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I've heard that you two are going out. Is that true?" Suji asked, hesitating slightly, wondering whether she was overstepping her boundaries by asking such a personal question when she had only known Polaris for a few hours.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But you can't tell anybody else," Jimin warned sharply. "We don't want it getting out, you know?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh yeah, of course," the newest member agreed quickly, nodding. "I was just wondering. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Eunjung had a few... Choice words about it, of course, but whatever," Jimin flipped her newly dyed dark brown hair over her shoulder. "She can't say anything when Kyungsoo oppa is always hanging around her."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""D.O sunbae? Really?" Suji was surprised. "They're close?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh, yeah, way close," Chaerin gossiped as she threw herself into the seat on the other side of Jimin. "They've been best friends since before EXO even debuted, to be honest. Don't go spreading rumours about them, Lee Jimin," she added with a light smack to the back of the visual's head.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm saying nothing but the truth, Rin!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"*p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Eunjung was talking with Kyungsoo and Seohyeon about their comeback stage that day, which was due to air on TV the following hour. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""You mean you didn't trip once? And you didn't mess the dance up? I'm proud of you, Eunjung," D.O teased and she grimaced at him.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm still taking every available opportunity to remind everybody that it was Subin and not me that couldn't learn the dance this time. And while it may seem that I'm the worst dancer in the group, at least I'm not the slowest at picking up the choreography."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Seohyeon had trouble, too, so I guess you might actually be the winner this time around," a voice stated from behind Seohyeon, who jumped and then glared at the owner of the voice reproachfully.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Do you always have to do that?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I like butting into conversations! What's wrong with that? It's called mingling," Kai answered defensively, shoving into the circle by bumping Seohyeon across so that he was in between his band mate and his legacy. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Yah, Kim Jongin," Eunjung called loudly, glaring at the dancer. "Stop sniffing around my maknae or I'll decapitate you. She's seventeen."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And?" Kai challenged. "I'm her favourite dance teacher! What's wrong with wanting to see how she's doing?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I don't trust you!" the leader announced, pointing at him dramatically. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah, leave him alone, Jungie," D.O placated her, patting her on the shoulder. "He's only being nice for once. He's not nice to the rest of us, so at least he's being pleasant to emsomeoneem."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I thought we were supposed to be friends, hyung," Kai teased. "I guess I was wrong!"p 


	16. 14 Health & Healing SUBIN

p style="margin: 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-weight: bold;"January 2015/span/span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"In the midst of all of the comeback preparations, performances and interviews, Subin could barely find the time to meet up with Sigma when they finally arrived back in Korea for the first time since October; of course, their debut had been a huge success and they had gained a lot of popularity, so they had stayed in the country longer than planned.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The first afternoon that Subin had off, she went to track down Kin, the oldest girl in Sigma, lead dancer and token Chinese member, who she was good friends with. span style="line-height: 1.6;"The plan was to pick up some food from their favourite restaurant and then settle in the park and catch up on what had been going on in each other's lives while they hadn't been in contact. span/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are none of the others coming?" Kin asked Subin as the two strolled down the path towards the restaurant that they had chosen to buy from. There were a few fans who recognised them along the way who had waved and smiled, but aside from that, it was turning out to be quite a peaceful day.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""No, they wanted to do some other things today," Subin informed her friend. "Eunjung is hanging out with Kyungsoo sunbae and Jimin is with her boyfriend."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""And you didn't want to be around the others, huh?" Kin asked, half-teasing. "I can understand the feeling."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin frowned at the Chinese girl. "What do you mean, Mei*? Are you having issues with Sigma?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The older girl hesitated slightly before answering, and when she did, her voice was pitched at a whisper. "I don't think they really like me. I don't get many lines in the songs, which is because I'm the lead dancer and I understand that, I really do, but even then, the others don't really include me. Do you think it's because I'm... Well... Not Korean or Japanese?" she asked uncertainly.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin was angry upon hearing this; she really thought that Sigma were above this, were better than ostracising Meihui just because she was Chinese. Honestly, there was no excuse for their behaviour. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""If it is, then they're absolutely stupid," the rapper raged. "What where you're from has to do with how they treat you, I do not know. I mean, Eunjung is from England and Chaerin is from America and none of us make them feel left out!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I think sometimes they forget that I exist," Kin admitted. "It's kind of hurtful .They do it with Minjung-ah too, but I think that is more to do with the fact that she came into the group last. They blame her for us not debuting when you guys did, which is stupid, because Minjung was working really hard. You saw how she was that day that were were told we wouldn't be debuting with you guys - she was absolutely devastated. If it had emjustem been Min letting us down, we still would have debuted, which means that other people must have been not working hard enough," Kin reasoned. "So I really think my members need to stop putting the blame on us when it's obvious that this is a team effort."/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""They sure do sound like they've changed," Subin muttered as they entered the restaurant. "I swear, Bokyung never used to be that bitchy."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""She didn't," the dancer agreed. "Since she's become the leader, she's really become someone else. Like, you know how she used to be just like Eunjung? She keeps trash talking Polaris and moaning about your popularity while we've had to work extra hard for ours - like she doesn't think that you guys have had to slave away to be liked. All she does is moan about what a hard job being the leader is and it really winds me up."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Don't you ever say anything to her?" Subin questioned, taking a menu and looking through the dishes in an attempt to find something that would jump out at her to buy. "Like, don't you ever tell her that she's being a bitch?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Kin looked at the rapper as though she had either gone mad or sprouted a second head from her elbow. "No. I think she'd probably kill me if I ever did say anything like that to her."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Well, when one of our members are being annoying, we just lay it on them," Subin explained, deciding on tteok manduguk** for her meal. "Like, it's usually Seohyeon or Jimin that we have to tell off because they have a tendency to get really bitchy, but in the long run, it stops too many arguments. We're a pretty open bunch."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I'm jealous of that. Sigma barely listens to each other. Akemi and Kiyomi are always off doing stuff together, Hyojin and Bokyung stick together and then there's Minjung and I. To be quite honest, Minjung is the nicest person in the group. I wish I'd been put into Polaris with you guys!" she finished with a pout, glancing down at the menu to see what she should choose for her meal. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""That is disgusting," Subin commented. "Want me to order?" Subin asked as they neared the service station. "I know you're still nervous about ordering food," p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Please, Subinnie," Kin responded thankfully. I'll have the toenjangguk***, please."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"After the order had been placed, the two found an empty table to site at while they waited for their food to be ready and Subin thought about what Kin had said.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I still can't believe that they're pushing you and Minjung out," she insisted. "It's awful! It didn't seem like they were against you two being in the group the last time we were all together, but you know. We don't always know what's going on in the other group, I guess,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It certainly seems that way," Kin agreed with a nod of her head. "But I've had enough of talking about how elitist my members are! What about your comeback? We watched your stages, but I want to hear it from you how you think it's all going. Your new mini album sounds great!" she praised.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Thanks! The song that you did with TaeTiSeo was especially good," Kin gushed. "Did you guys write any of the songs?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin shook her head sadly. "Not yet, but I think we're going to be able to for the next comeback, though when that is, I don't know. We're thinking that it might be a full album, which is going to be nerve-wracking as hell to record, but I actually can't wait for it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Do any of you want to write for the album?" Kin wondered, fiddling with her purse. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin nodded slowly. "Eunjung wants to work on something, I know that much, and I kind of want to as well, but I have no idea how to start, you know? I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The two fell into a companionable silence and before too long, the food arrived in the take-away bag. While the waitress bade them a good day, the two idols left the restaurant and made their way towards the park that they had both agreed would be a nice and relaxing place to spend their day off. They had almost made it to where they wanted to sit to eat when they were stopped by two teenage girls.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Hey, aren't you from SM Entertainment?" the taller of the two asked curiously, tilting her head to one side.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""They are, Sujung, look!" the more enthusiastic girl enthused. "That's Subin from Polaris! And you're Kin from Sigma, right? Oh my emgodem, Sujung!"/p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Oh yeah! Oh my gosh! Hello, I'm Im Sujung, it's nice to meet you! This is my best friend, Nam Songhee! We're huge fans of your groups," Sujung gushed, more excited now that she knew who the two girls standing in front of her were. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's nice to meet you too, I'm Subin, Polaris' lead rapper, and this is Kin, Sigma's lead dancer. Thank you so much for your support," Subin greeted calmly, bowing to the teenagers. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What is it like living with the other members?" Songhee asked hurriedly, fishing around in her bag for something. Kin and Subin shared a quick look before Subin spoke. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It's like living with your best friends," she told them diplomatically; best friends could fall out, right? p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Your first comeback stage was amazing, Subin unnie," Sujung complimented. "I've had the 'Dream' mini album on repeat since it came out! I pre-ordered it online and everything,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""My sister runs a fansite for your groups," Songhee added. "Are you really that close to EXO, unnies?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Polaris is especially," Kin explained. "Although we all knew them before they debuted."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Are you close to Tao oppa?" Songhee asked, turning to face Kin now, clutching a pen and paper in her hand. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""We sometimes annoy the others by speaking entirely in Mandarin," Kin confessed with a shy smile. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Songhee-ah, stop pestering them," Sujung said suddenly, eyeing the bag full of food that Kin was carrying. "They're going somewhere! You must have time off from your schedules, unnies. Enjoy your free time!"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Before you go, can you sign this for me?" Songhee asked, holding out the paper and pen. "It would probably make my year,"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Subin grinned and accepted the objects, uncapping the marker and quickly signing her name and a quick message before handing them to Meihui to do the same. p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""It was amazing to meet you two," Subin told them sincerely. "We've never been stopped by fans before, so it was really nice to take the time to talk to you. Thank you for supporting Polaris and Sigma! Please continue to watch our stages and buy our music!" p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Kin handed the paper back to Songhee and they all bowed before the two girls hurried away, chatting excitedly about calling their friends and telling them all about the encounter with SM Entertainment's latest stars.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""What did you write on that paper, Subin?" Kin asked curiously as the two continued on their way to the park.p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""Ah," Subin answered, eyes twinkling and a smile on her face. "That they were the first fans we've met and that we're grateful for their support. I can't believe that that just happened, to be honest," she admitted as they turned the corner and spotted the gates down the street from them. "I know that our sunbaes get it all the time, but I didn't think that anybody would recognise us, being so new and all."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""But now we need to get some official fangroup names sorted out," Kin pointed out. "What are they calling themselves if they like both groups? The 'Stars'?"p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"The rapper nodded. "I like the idea of 'Novas' - Jimin suggested it the other night. I might bring it up with Daeseun oppa tonight, actually."p  
>p style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; color: #4a4f55; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;""I like it!" Kin approved with a cheesy thumbs up. "But for now, let's not talk about work and let's just enjoy our time off."p 


End file.
